Department for Transport

Aviation: Licensing

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2019 to Question 225461 on Aviation Licensing, how many initial issues for each category of licence were made to people aged (a) 16 to 30, (b) 30 to 45 and (c) over 45.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority records that it issued the following initial pilot licenses by age group. Licence Type16-3031-45over 45TotalPrivate8595985612018Commercial57823435847Air Transport38844474906

Department for Transport: Ministerial Powers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ministerial directions have been issued by Ministers in his Department in each of the last eight years.

Jesse Norman: In the last eight years, ministers have issued the following number of ministerial directions:YearNumber of ministerial directions issued201522016120171

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide an updated business case for High Speed Two ahead of the introduction of the Hybrid Bill for Phase 2a later this year.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport will periodically update business cases in line with the Government’s protocol for developing major projects. The HS2 Phase 2a Outline Business Case was published alongside the deposit of the Phase 2a hybrid Bill in July 2017. The Department intends to update the Phase 2a Business Case to form the Full Business Case after the Phase 2a hybrid Bill achieves Royal Assent.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will provide updated estimates of the forecast passenger numbers for High Speed One ahead of the Hybrid Bill for Phase 2a later this year.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The HS2 Phase One full business case, intended for publication later in 2019, will be informed with an updated assessments of future passenger numbers for all phases of HS2, the conventional railway and HS1. These forecasts will be updated to support development of the Phase 2a Full Business Case.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the membership of the Civil Aviation Authority team who will conduct the post-implementation review of offshore helicopter safety, CAP1145; and when that review is planned to be completed.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is committed to ensuring that North Sea helicopter flying is as safe as possible and the CAA’s comprehensive safety review in 2014 resulted in further improvements to offshore helicopter safety standards. The post implementation review is being led by the CAA’s Safety Assurance team, supported by experts from across the CAA including from its airworthiness, flight operations and policy teams. The CAA plans to complete the review prior to the 3rd quarter of 2019.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Civil Aviation Authority team will take to engage with trade unions represented on the (a) Offshore Helicopter Safety Leadership and (b) Step Change in Safety groups when conducting its post-implementation review of offshore helicopter safety, CAP1145.

Jesse Norman: The Offshore Helicopter Safety Liaison Group (OHSLG), which is co-chaired by the Civil Aviation Authority, includes representation from key organisations from across the industry, including helicopter operators, the oil and gas industry, the trade unions and ‘Step Change in Safety’. Trade unions will be able to engage with the review through the OHSLG.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place a copy of the terms of reference of the Civil Aviation Authority’s post-implementation review of offshore helicopter safety, CAP1145, in the Library.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority conducts all such reviews in accordance with the terms of its Safety Assurance policy.The review is considering the question “Have the Recommendations and Actions in CAP 1145 been adequately implemented and have these achieved the objective of improving the survivability of passengers and crew following an accident?”A copy of the CAA’s Safety Assurance policy will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Living Wage and Minimum Wage: Young People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of jobs in (a) Nottinghamshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England are paid the National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage for employees aged 16 to 24.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 27 March 2019



Through the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, the Government ensures that the lowest paid in our society are fairly rewarded for their work. Workers under the age of 25 are entitled to one of the National Minimum Wage rates, which are set as high as possible without damaging young people’s employment prospects. From April 2019, those aged 16-24 will benefit from inflation-beating increases in the youth rates. About 271,000 workers under the age of 25 in England are expected to be covered by one of the National Minimum Wage rates, including 36,000 in the East Midlands. The Government has not published figures for Nottinghamshire for 2019. However, about 3,800 workers aged 16 or over were on the National Living Wage or the National Minimum Wage in Ashfield in April 2018, representing 9% of the constituency’s workforce. The Government also commends employers who are able to pay above the minimum. According to the independent Low Pay Commission, more than nine in ten workers under the age of 25 were paid above their age-applicable National Minimum Wage rate in the UK in April 2018.

Hotels: Competition

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will ask the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the level and effectiveness of competition in online hotel booking.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 28 March 2019



The Competition and Markets Authority has investigated and taken enforcement action against six major online hotel booking sites for alleged breaches of consumer protection legislation. It is also writing to other hotel booking sites setting out expectations, particularly regarding pressure selling, transparency of ordering of search results, discounts and charges so that competition enables consumers to find the best deal for them.

New Businesses: Families

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to entrepreneurs with family care responsibilities.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 28 March 2019



The Government is committed to supporting all entrepreneurs to start and grow a business and is a key aspect of our ambitious Industrial Strategy. The Government supports diversity in all its forms in business and recognises the valuable contribution they make to our economy.On 6th March BEIS launched the Young Entrepreneurs Review, independently led by the Prince’s Trust. The Review will close in September 2019 and will seek to better understand young entrepreneurs, the specific barriers and opportunities they face, and what more can be done to support them to start and grow a business, including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.The Department ensures that the Shared Parental Leave and Pay Scheme enables eligible couples to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay, in the first year.    We are currently evaluating the scheme and have commissioned both quantitative and qualitative data on the level of take-up; barriers to take-up; and how the scheme is being used in practice. Last year, GEO and BEIS ran a joint £1.5m campaign to promote awareness and take-up of Shared Parental Leave and Pay and a campaign to raise awareness launched last month. We are exploring options for improving tools and guidance for parents.Pregnant women and new mothers who are self-employed may qualify for Maternity Allowance (a benefit which is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions). Where they do not intend to use their full entitlement to Maternity Allowance they can ‘create’ up to 50 weeks of Shared Parental Leave and up to 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay for an employed father or partner to take (subject to eligibility conditions).Employed directors can qualify for a range of employment rights including Maternity Leave and Pay (or Maternity Allowance), Paternity Leave and Pay, Adoption Leave and Pay and Shared Parental Leave and Pay. Maternity and Adoption Leave are ‘day 1’ rights. Other family related employment entitlements are subject to eligibility conditions.

New Businesses: Females

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage UK-based institutional and private investors to invest in female entrepreneurs.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 28 March 2019



On 8 March, HM Treasury published the Rose Review into Female Entrepreneurship which explored the barriers women face when starting a business and what can be done to overcome them.In response to Alison Rose’s findings, the government is setting out an ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030. This will require an additional 600,000 female entrepreneurs, and concerted efforts from both the private and public sector.We are establishing a new Investing in Women Code, which will report annually, and see financial institutions sign up, track how they are currently doing and take steps to improve how they allocate funding to female entrepreneurs.I will also sponsor an industry-led taskforce alongside Treasury Ministers that will drive forward work to encourage greater investment in female entrepreneurs by all types of finance provider.

Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses that have paid workers below the national minimum wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 28 March 2019



The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who fail to pay the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage when it is due. In the past three years, we have doubled HMRC’s budget to enforce the minimum wage from £13.2 million in 2015/16 to a record £26.3 million in 2018/19.As a result, the Government achieved record enforcement results in 2017/18. We closed 1,046 cases for breaches of the minimum wage legislation, identifying £15.6 million of minimum wage arrears owed to over 200,000 workers.The Government’s latest evidence on compliance and enforcement regarding the minimum wage can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-living-wage-and-national-minimum-wage-government-evidence-on-compliance-and-enforcement-2018.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to row 25 of the table on page 39 of his Department's publication, 2018-19 Main Estimate Memorandum, if he will publish a description of spending under the heading Heat.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to row 12 of the table on page 39 of his Department's publication 2018-19 Main Estimate Memorandum, if he will publish a description of spending under the heading International Climate Finance.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to row 13 of the table on page 36 of his Department's publication, 2018-19 Main Estimate Memorandum, if he will publish a description of spending under the heading British Energy Liabilities.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to row 12 of the table on page 35 of his Department's 2018-19 Main Estimate Memorandum, if he will publish a breakdown of spending under the heading Low Pay Commission.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Public Expenditure

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to rows 25,26 and 27 of the table on page 36 of the his Department's 2018-19 Main Estimate Memorandum, if he will publish a breakdown of spending under the heading Capability: Core and Agency Admin, Centrally held/unallocated and Other Programmes.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of options for the return of UK nationals detained in North East Syria to be charged and prosecuted in the UK.

Mark Field: ​We wish to see those who have fought for or supported Daesh in Iraq or Syria, whatever their nationality, brought to justice for their crimes in accordance with due legal process in the most appropriate jurisdiction. If a UK national returns from Syria, it is for the police and Crown Prosecution Service to decide if they should be prosecuted, which is a decision partly based on the available evidence. Individuals can be convicted in UK courts of offences committed overseas (including preparation of terrorism, encouragement of terrorism and membership of a proscribed organisation). However, for crimes committed in Daesh-held territory in Syria it can be extremely difficult to obtain evidence that would be admissible in a UK court.

Belarus: Mass Media

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made in the last six months to (a) the Belarus Ambassador in London and (b) his counterpart in Belarus on recent amendments to media law, the criminal prosecution of journalists and editors and the persecution of journalists who co-operate with foreign media without accreditation.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK is concerned about restrictions on media freedom in Belarus, including the amendments introduced to Belarus' media laws on 1 December. Our Ambassador in Minsk raised these issues with the Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister in a meeting on 19 February 2019. Our Embassy subsequently attended the trial of the editor of the independent online media outlet, tut.by. The UK also joined EU partners in raising the issue of media freedom during the EU-Belarus Coordination meeting on 12-13 December 2018. The UK continues to support a number of projects to promote and develop independent media in Belarus.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the United Nations plans to relocate Rohingya refugees from the Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh to the island of Bhasan Char.

Mark Field: I do not believe that the United Nations plans to relocate Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char Island. In a press release on 25 March UN Bangladesh stated that "The UN's position is to engage constructively with the Government [of Bangladesh] on Bhasan Char. We are discussing with the Government the critical protection and operational issues that should be considered before any relocations take place, in order to ensure that refugees would be able to live in safe and sustainable living conditions on Bhasan Char." I and other Ministers have made clear to the Government of Bangladesh, most recently in my meeting with State Minister Shahriar Alam on 27 March, that any relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char Island must be safe, dignified and in accordance with international humanitarian principles. We fully support the UN's position on relocations to Bhasan Char, which includes asking the Government of Bangladesh to allow full and detailed technical and protection assessments to be conducted of the island. The UN are examining the potential requirements, time frames and costs involved in setting up a humanitarian response on Bhasan Char.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Myanmar on the appeal against the conviction of Reuters reporters Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone.

Mark Field: ​I refer the Right Honourable Member to my answer of 11 March 2019 (229694).

British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's guidance is on responding to the (a) death, (b) torture and (c) imprisonment of British citizens abroad.

Harriett Baldwin: The assistance the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) can provide to British nationals abroad is set out in the publication: Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide. It includes information on what we can do in cases of death abroad (page 21), for victims of torture and mistreatment (page 17), and for those in detention or prison overseas (page 19). It also includes information on who the FCO can help (page 6). In all cases, the level and type of assistance we offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case  ​

British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to assess whether consular assistance is provided after the (a) death, (b) torture and (c) imprisonment of a British citizen abroad.

Harriett Baldwin: The assistance the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) can provide to British nationals abroad is set out in the publication: Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide. It includes information on what we can do in cases of death abroad (page 21), for victims of torture and mistreatment (page 17), and for those in detention or prison overseas (page 19). It also includes information on who the FCO can help (page 6). In all cases, the level and type of assistance we offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case  ​ ​

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what definition the Government has of the high degree of autonomy that Hong Kong is supposed to exercise under the terms of Article 2 of the Basic Law that came into effect in 1997;  and what assessment he has made of whether Hong Kong enjoys that high degree of autonomy.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what definition his Department has of executive, legislative and independent judicial power that Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy under the terms of Article 2 of the Basic Law that came into effect in 1997; and what assessment he has made of whether Hong Kong currently holds those powers.

Mark Field: ​The Sino-British Joint Declaration describes Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, and its executive, legislative and independent judicial powers.The Foreign Secretary publishes a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Hong Kong every six months. The most recent report, covering the period July – December 2018, was laid before Parliament on 27 March.Hong Kong's success is underpinned by its high degree of autonomy, independent judiciary and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Joint Declaration. However recent events have demonstrated increasing pressure on this high degree of autonomy and Hong Kong's rights and freedoms. It remains the British Government's view that, for Hong Kong's future success, it is essential that Hong Kong enjoys, and is seen to enjoy, the full measure of its high degree of autonomy and rule of law as set out in the Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law, in keeping with the commitment to 'One Country, Two Systems'.

Dong Samuel Lauk and Aggrey Ezbon Idri

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in South Sudan and Kenya on the detention of human rights activists Dong Samuel Luak and Aggrey Ezbon Idri.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK Government remains concerned about the disappearance of Dong Samuel and Ezbon Idri following their abduction in Nairobi in 2017, reportedly by the South Sudanese authorities. Their disappearance is part of a deeply troubling pattern of harassment and intimidation of civic actors in South Sudan, and the repression of freedom of expression by the authorities. The British Government continues to press the Government of South Sudan for the release of all political prisoners in accordance with the 12 September peace agreement. The Government of South Sudan's failure to comply with this provision of the agreement calls into question their commitment to achieving a meaningful peace.

Amade Abubacar

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Mozambique on the detention of journalist Amade Abubacar.

Harriett Baldwin: Officials at our High Commission in Maputo have raised the issue of the detention of Amade Abubacar with Mozambican officials at national and local level. Our High Commissioner to Maputo also raised the issue with the provincial government in Cabo Delgado Province on 17 January.Mr Abubacar was initially held in military detention. However, following enquiries by officials, Mr Abubacar has been formally charged and moved into custody in a civilian prison. We continue to follow his case closely.The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of the press and the protection of journalists.

Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela and  Malik Sullemana

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ghana on (a) the murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela and (b) the beating and detention of journalist Malik Sullemana in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We were deeply saddened by the killing of Ahmed Hussein-Suale and offered our condolences to his family and friends. Our High Commissioner in Ghana has made representations to the Government of Ghana, including through a statement made alongside other European Union Heads of Missions in Ghana. We continue to urge the authorities to ensure that there is a full investigation into the matter. As the Foreign Secretary set out on 18 January those responsible must face justice. Our High Commissioner is closely monitoring events following the beating and detention of a Ghanaian Times journalist, Malik Sullemana in 2018. We are in contact with the Ghanaian Times and the Ghanaian Police, and have urged the authorities to conclude their investigation into the matter.The UK is committed to the promotion of media freedom and the protection of journalists worldwide. The Foreign Secretary has launched an international campaign to end the climate of impunity and mobilise a consensus behind the protection of journalists. In the coming year and beyond, we are going to increase the global spotlight on media freedom as an important issue.

Cameroon: Demonstrations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Cameroon on the recent sentencing of 26 people for illegal gathering and demonstration in that country; and what assessment he has made of whether those convictions are consistent with the terms of the Commonwealth Charter.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK remains deeply concerned about the arrest, detention and sentencing of political actors, including the sentencing of 26 opposition supporters on 24 March, arrested during the 26 January protests. On 21 March, the UK and Austria made a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Cameroon, including a call for timely, fair trial or release of political detainees. On 13 February I underlined that trials, including of Opposition leader Maurice Kamto, must follow due process, and that freedom of speech and political expression are integral to a democratic society. We encourage all Commonwealth member states to adhere to the values in the Commonwealth Charter, including the protection and promotion of civil, political economic social and cultural rights, and the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes. Officials are in regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretariat and member states to discuss these issues.

Malta: Trade Agreements

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the bilateral agreements between the UK and Malta, including the agreement that Maltese citizens can receive free healthcare treatment in the UK, will be maintained after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​There are no plans to change existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements between the United Kingdom and The Republic of Malta following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union. The UK Government wants to continue our existing arrangements with Malta, so that no-one faces sudden changes to how they obtain healthcare. Discussions about how to achieve this aim are continuing.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Defence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March to Question 231378 on British Indian Ocean Territory, what assessment he has made of the contribution to regional and global security of the Outer Islands of the Chagos Archipelago.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Outer Islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory are integral to the effective operation of the UK/US defence facility on Diego Garcia, which is used by the UK and our allies to combat some of the most challenging threats to regional and international security, including those from terrorism, organised crime, instability and piracy.

Cuba: Prince Charles

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meetings held between HRH the Prince of Wales and officials of the Cuban Government during his recent visit to that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: In accordance with long-standing Royal practice, The Prince of Wales’ conversations are private

Belarus: Diplomatic Relations

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the UK’s diplomatic relations with Belarus.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK has steadily increased its engagement with Belarus since the release of political prisoners and consequent lifting of the majority of EU Restrictive Measures in February 2016. UK engagement is focused on building regional stability in Europe's Eastern Neighbourhood and on encouraging Belarus' closer participation in the international rules-based system. This includes encouraging Belarus to show greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We also continue to promote the economic, commercial and cultural links between our countries. I met President Lukashenka and Foreign Minister Makei respectively in September 2017 and in March 2018.

Belarus: Human Rights and Press Freedom

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote (a) human rights and (b) press freedom in Belarus.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK remains concerned about the human rights situation in Belarus. We continue to urge Belarus to show greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including media freedom. Our Ambassador in Minsk raised these issues most recently with the Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister in a meeting on 19 February 2019. Our Embassy subsequently attended the trial of the editor of the independent online media outlet, tut.by. The UK also joined EU partners in raising human rights concerns during the EU-Belarus Coordination meeting on 12-13 December 2018. Through the Global Britain Fund, our Embassy funds a number of Human Rights projects, including support for Non-Governmental Organisations advocating a moratorium on the death penalty and support for the growth of independent media in Belarus.

Thailand: Elections

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Thai counterpart on the conduct of the recent elections in Thailand.

Mark Field: Ahead of the elections in Thailand on Sunday 24 March, the UK engaged in regular dialogue at Ministerial and senior official level with the Thai authorities and urged them to embrace a free and open environment in which elections could occur, including during Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s meeting with the Prime Minister in June 2018. Our Embassy in Bangkok also used every opportunity to press for the elections to be conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner. Following the elections on Sunday, I issued a statement welcoming the fact that elections had taken place and highlighted that it was important that any reported irregularities were investigated swiftly, fairly and transparently. I also emphasised that the process of government formation should be conducted in a proper and open manner, and reflect what people voted for.

Israel: Golan Heights

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of (a) the United States and (b) Israel on sovereignty of the Golan Heights.

Mark Field: On 26 March officials from our Embassy in Washington raised our concerns with US counterparts about the US Presidential Proclamation recognising that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel. We are clear that the UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, including the UN Charter. The decision by the US to recognise lsraeli sovereignity over the Golan Heights is in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 497. The UK did not recognise Israel's annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change our position. On 26 March we joined Belgium, France, Germany and Poland at the UN Security Council in reiterating this position.

China: Minority Groups

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he will make to the Chinese Government on the protection of minorities in light of the recent allegations of forced organ harvesting in China.

Mark Field: We are aware of reports that allege that organ harvesting may be taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted. This includes the 2016 update to the Kilgour, Matas and Gutmann report and other information provided so far to the ongoing tribunal organised by the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China. We continue to scrutinise the situation carefully and review new information as it becomes available. At present, however, our assessment is that there is not a strong enough evidential base to substantiate the claim that systematic state-sponsored or sanctioned organ harvesting is taking place in China. We therefore have no current plans to raise these allegations with the Chinese Government.

United Arab Emirates: British Nationals Abroad

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2019 to Question 234069, whether his Department has updated its advice to UK citizens travelling to the United Arab Emirates since the arrest of Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad.

Mark Field: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 14 October 2014 (PQ 234069). We keep all Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice, including for the United Arab Emirates, under constant review to ensure it reflects our assessment of risk to British nationals and includes information and advice on the most relevant issues for British nationals travelling or living abroad.

Sahel: Human Rights

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prioritise respect for human rights and the rights of minorities when working in partnership with countries of the Sahel.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We regularly raise these issues with the countries of the Sahel and in multilateral fora. This includes through the EU's "Article 8" political discussions with these countries, the Universal Periodic Review and the Human Rights Council – where most recently the UK called on the Government of Mali to denounce and tackle human rights abuses, including all forms of violence against women, girls and members of other vulnerable groups.We also press partners on the importance of compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law in security operations and provide funding for the establishment of a compliance framework for the G5 Sahel Joint Force.To help improve protection of civilians in the Sahel in the context of growing instability, the UK is also providing funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross to ensure humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict, and to promote respect for international humanitarian law in the region

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen UK co-operation with international partners to ensure the (a) prosecution and (b) extradition of people who commit international crimes.

Mark Field: The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle the most serious international offences, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. We assist other countries in prosecuting offences that take place within their territory of jurisdiction and collaborate with other states to develop credible international criminal justice mechanisms. The UK continues to provide political, financial and logistical support to the International Criminal Court (ICC) alongside other ad-hoc international tribunals and international mechanisms mandated by the UN.The UK has mutual legal assistance arrangements with other countries, and permits the surrender of its own nationals subject to statutory safeguards. Countries that are party to the relevant conventions dealing with international crimes are able to make requests to the UK, either as part of systematic treaty-based co-operation, or on a case-by-case basis. The UK may also consider requests from countries where there are no extradition arrangements.

Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to respond to concerns about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea including; lack of freedom of expression and assembly, lack of transparency, lack of an independent judiciary, disproportionate punishment, use of torture, and detention conditions.We have no diplomatic mission or resident diplomatic staff in Equatorial Guinea. We use regular visits by our non-resident Ambassador (based in Cameroon) and discussions with the Chargé in London to raise human rights concerns.

Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what membership criteria the United Kingdom claims current membership of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in right of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which is a coastal state within the geographic scope of the IOTC (see article IV of the IOTC Agreement).

Brunei: LGBT People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Brunei on whipping and stoning to death being added to punishments potentially facing LGBT+ people in that country if they are found guilty of engaging in same-sex relations.

Mark Field: I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person's sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.

Brunei: LGBT People

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK meet its special responsibility to address laws discriminating against LGBT people in the Commonwealth with specific reference to Brunei.

Mark Field: I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person's sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.

Brunei: Homosexuality

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) the Bruneian Ambassador in London and (b) his counterpart in Brunei on proposed legislation to make homosexuality a crime punishable by death in that country.

Mark Field: I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person's sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department has taken to help repatriate children of British nationals associated with ISIS in north-east Syria.

Mark Field: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all travel to Syria since 2012 because of the dangers associated with the conflict there. It remains the case that the UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to provide assistance, whether to children or adults. Outside of Syria, we would of course respond to requests for consular assistance to British children, including facilitating their return as appropriate.

Brunei: LGBT People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Brunei Government on the freedom of the LGBT+ community in that country.

Mark Field: I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person's sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.

Sierra Leone: Politics and Government

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with his counterpart in Sierra Leone on the state of political and constitutional freedoms in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: I recently met with Foreign Minister Dr. Alie Kabba and discussed the strong partnership that the UK and Sierra Leone enjoys. Given UK concerns about the Government of Sierra Leone’s policy on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) contained in the new Development Cooperation Framework (DCF), I emphasised the importance of giving NGOs the space to operate and contribute to Sierra Leone’s development. We will continue to engage with the Government of Sierra Leone and NGOs to ensure that the valuable work of NGOs in Sierra Leone is unhindered.​

Papua: Indigenous Peoples

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government on the murder and torture of West Papuan indigenous people.

Mark Field: The British Government follows the situation in Papua closely. Officials in London and at the Embassy in Jakarta press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to protest peacefully, and promote the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces. I met the Indonesian Ambassador in January and raised Papua with him. The Ambassador raised the recent violence in Nduga Regency with senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January and called on the Indonesian authorities to ensure that any security response was proportionate. Officials at the Embassy in Jakarta raised reports of the use of torture with the Deputy Police Chief of Papua Province in February 2019.

Saudi Arabia: Detainees

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether departmental officials will attend court hearings in Riyadh for detained women’s rights activists.

Mark Field: The UK attends trials of international importance in all countries where permitted. The UK, along with other embassies in Saudi Arabia, requested and were denied access to the trials of women’s rights defenders that took place on 13 and 27 March.​

Africa: Ministerial Responsibility

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on extending the responsibilities of the Minister for Africa to the whole of Africa.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with Cabinet colleagues on this matter.

Brunei: LGBT People

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government will be taking in response to the decision by Brunei to introduce a new Penal Code which could result in LGBTQ people being whipped, tortured or stoned to death for consensual same-sex relations.

Mark Field: I raised UK concerns about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018. More recently I raised these issues on Friday 29 March in a letter to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses the introduction of the Sharia Penal Code with the Government of Brunei.We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.The UK believes in the right to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination irrespective of a person's sexual orientation. The International community must uphold the universality of human rights; the criminalisation of same-sex relations is wrong.The UK is committed to combating discrimination and violence against LGBT people throughout the Commonwealth and ensured that last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communique included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister, and backed up with major programme spending on gender equality and LGBT rights.Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice has been updated to alert British citizens of the introduction of the new local laws in Brunei and we continue to lobby against the use of such punishments.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Advertising

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent by each Government Department on advertising on (a) Facebook, (b) Twitter, (c) Google, (d) Instagram in the last 12 months.

Chloe Smith: This information is not held by Cabinet Office. Each department is responsible for their own advertising spend. Advertising spend by Cabinet Office has been published in previous transparency data releases. These are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.

Cabinet Office: Advertising

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent from the public purse on (a) advertising, (b) video footage and (c) audio footage on (i) Facebook, (ii) Twitter, (ii) Google, (ii) Instagram in relation to the Prime Minister's speech at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 20 March.

Chloe Smith: This information is intended for publication at a later date, alongside our regular transparency reporting.

Elections: Advertising

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's budget is for advertising on (a) social and (b) other media to increase people's awareness of voter registration deadlines for forthcoming local elections.

Chloe Smith: The Electoral Commission (EC) has a statutory responsibility to promote awareness of elections, including registration. In this capacity the EC leads public awareness campaigns on voter registration, notably ahead of elections. The Government works in partnership with the EC to coordinate cross-government support for these campaigns. This includes sharing public awareness campaign materials through government social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as wider networks. The Government, however, does not have an allocated budget for advertising voter registration deadlines.

Government Departments: Procurement

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2019 to Question 226687 on Government Departments: procurement, how many bidders have been excluded from a government procurement process due to being in breach of tax and social security obligations in 2018.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally.

Electoral Register

Patrick Grady: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many new electors have registered to vote after turning 18 since 24 June 2016.

Chloe Smith: Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of electors who have successfully enrolled onto each individual Local Authority’s electoral register. Some registration statistics are available from the Office for National Statistics website (www.ons.gov.uk) but this does not include a breakdown by age. Cabinet Office does, however, hold data on the number of applications to register to vote. The total number of individual applications since 24 June 2016, from 18-24 year olds – both online, via the Register to Vote Website, and by paper form – is 3.9 million.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of the Government's spending on advertising related to the exit date of the UK leaving the EU being 29 March 2019.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office is leading and coordinating the cross-departmental Prepare for EU Exit public information campaign to help fulfil the Government’s duty to inform citizens and businesses about how leaving the EU might affect them, and to advise them on the steps they may need to take to prepare. To date we have used a range of paid-for and no-cost channels to direct citizens and businesses to a dedicated area on GOV.UK at Gov.uk/euexit.  The Cabinet Office has undertaken to publish information relating to ongoing expenditure on the public information campaign as part of the department’s regular data transparency releases. The latest release is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

Department for Exiting the European Union: Facebook

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much money his Department has spent on Facebook advertising to promote the Prime Minister's withdrawal deal in each month of 2019.

Chloe Smith: This information is intended for publication at a later date, alongside our regular transparency reporting.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many recent discussions he has had with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Government cybersecurity funding in the 2019 Spending Review.

Mr David Lidington: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions on government cyber security funding are not normally disclosed.

National Cyber Security Centre

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2019 to Question 235803, what performance indicators are used to assess the (a) number and (b) quality of the interactions between industry and the National Cyber Security Centre.

Mr David Lidington: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) works closely with a range of industry partners in order to assess cyber security resilience and have up to date knowledge of the threats and risks faced. This is a cyclical process that enables guidance to be tailored to each sector and ensures NCSC provides quality advice to industry. To support this approach NCSC gathers a range of data to ensure impact. Given the variety of methods used to capture data numbers of interactions are not centrally measured.

Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mandatory cyber security training sessions civil servants working in his Department are required to undertake.

Caroline Dinenage: Departmental staff are not currently required to undertake mandatory training specifically relating to cyber security. Guidance on security culture, including cyber security and managing digital footprints, is available to staff through the Department’s intranet. All Departmental staff are required to undertake learning related to the handling and protection of information and safe online practice at the point of induction and also on an annual basis. There is opportunity for learners to test their learning and knowledge at the end of the learning course.

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the estimated cost of inefficiency in the NHS has been in each year since 2010.

Stephen Hammond: Neither the Department nor the National Health Service calculate a single estimate of inefficiency in the National Health Service. However, significant work in recent years has gone into calculating unwarranted variation in the NHS. The Lord Carter reviews into unwarranted variation, published in 2016-18, identified £5.8 billion of recurrent savings. These reports identified variation in service delivery, to quantify potential savings, noting that some variation is warranted and desirable, when different circumstances require it. In 2017/18, the NHS made £1.45 billion of efficiency savings, by enacting the recommendations of the Carter report and reducing unwarranted variation. Central support was delivered to trusts across a range of programmes, including the clinical workforce, diagnostics, pharmacy, back-office services, estates and procurement. Trusts have identified further opportunities beyond this, at a local level, and have been supported by the Department and NHS Improvement to deliver these additional savings.

Orkambi

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to secure a deal with Vertex on access for patients to the drug Orkambi on the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England are leading the dialogue with Vertex Pharmaceuticals on access to their portfolio of cystic fibrosis medicines, including Orkambi. The Government fully supports the approach that NICE and NHS England are adopting. It is crucial that patients have access to the most effective and innovative medicines at a price that represents value to the NHS. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care held a meeting on 11 March with all the parties to discuss how best to reach a deal so that people with cystic fibrosis and their families can benefit as soon as possible. Vertex, NICE and NHS England subsequently met on Thursday 21 March and have agreed to continue discussions.

Hospitals: Yorkshire and the Humber

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting times (a) for NHS operations and (b) between admission and treatment at A&E in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Stephen Hammond: Positive work has been delivered within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as well as the wider Leeds health and social care economy. Through this, significant improvements have been seen over the past 12 months, including over the winter period. Over winter, these improvements have included:- A significant reduction in the the number of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks for operations;- A 10% increase in the number of patients seen within four hours in emergency departments in February, compared to previous year; and- Zero 12-hour breaches within emergency departments. In addition to this, further service improvements made across hospitals in the area over the last 12 months have included modelling to predict surges in demand, extra consultant presence in the emergency department and work to discharge patients earlier in the day.

Health Professions: Business Interests

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse has been of  requiring medical professionals to disclose payments and gifts from medical and other suppliers; and what benefits have been derived from the implementing that requirement.

Stephen Hammond: There has been no measurement of the cost to the public purse of requiring medical professionals to disclose payments and gifts from medical and other suppliers.

NHS: Staff

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS is adequately staffed after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Hammond: The NHS Long Term Plan sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs so that nurses and doctors have the time they need to care, working in a supportive culture that allows them to provide the expert compassionate care they are committed to providing.

Health Services: Cambridgeshire

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of trends in the level of population growth in Cambridgeshire on local health services.

Stephen Hammond: NHS England is responsible for decisions on the weighted capitation formula used to allocate resources between clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), including those covering Cambridgeshire. This process is independent of Government. NHS England takes advice from the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), a group of academics and other experts. NHS England published five-year CCG allocations 2019-20 to 2023-24 on 8 February 2019: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/ccg-allocations-2019-20-to-2023-24-core-services/ For the latest round of allocations covering 2019-20 to 2023-24, NHS England accepted all recommendations made by ACRA, including changes in the way population estimates (as provided by the Office for National Statistics) and projections are used.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money was recovered by the NHS from overseas visitors in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Stephen Hammond: The total amount of National Health Service treatment recovered from overseas visitors in each of the last three years is provided in the following table. All income recovered is directed straight back to the NHS frontline. 2015-162016-172017-18Payments Received (England only)£196 million£281 million£290 million The United Kingdom Government has made an offer to countries in the European Union/European Economic Area and Switzerland to extend existing healthcare arrangements for UK nationals if the UK leaves without a deal.

Home Care Services

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations in the Red Cross report entitled Home to the Unknown: Getting hospital discharge right; and whether he is taking steps to introduce an independence check prior to discharge or within 72 hours of going home, as recommended by the Red Cross.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department agrees that it is important that there is appropriate support for patients on discharge from hospital. All patients should have a discharge assessment to determine the level of care they will need upon discharge from hospital, including whether a care plan is needed. The NHS Long Term Plan makes clear the importance of moving care into the community, and this Government is committed to achieving this. It commits an extra £4.5 billion a year by 2023/24 of investment in primary care and community health services. The National Health Service is currently developing the Implementation Framework for the Long Term Plan. Improving discharge from hospital and supporting patients to recover their independence in the most appropriate setting will be taken into account within this framework.

Epilepsy: Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all children with epilepsy have access to effective epilepsy services.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to ensuring all children living with epilepsy in England have access to effective epilepsy services. NHS England is responsible for securing and supporting high quality outcomes for people with epilepsy, and the vast majority of services for people with the condition are planned and commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups from their respective budgets. Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with epilepsy can have their epilepsy controlled satisfactorily with anti-epileptic drugs, and be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care.

Autism: Health Education

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2018 finding of the National Autistic Society that half of autistic people report not leaving the house because they are worried about society's reaction to them, what steps the Government is taking to increase awareness of autism.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to raising awareness and understanding of autism in line with the autism strategy and Autism Act (2009). On 21 March 2019, I responded to the backbench business debate on autism services on behalf of the Government. This debate has helped to raise awareness and understanding of autism ahead of Autism Awareness Week 2019. On 13 February 2019, the Department launched an eight-week consultation on learning disability and autism training for health and care staff. We are consulting on proposals for introducing mandatory learning disability and autism training to ensure that staff across health and social care have the right skills and we have overall the right culture, to provide better support. The consultation is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778129/Learning_disability_and_autism_training_for_health_and_care_staff_consultation_document.pdf Government Departments are taking forward actions and strategies to raise awareness and understanding of autism, and to adjust services to make them more accessible to autistic people. For example, these include: - In July 2018, the Department for Transport published its, ‘Inclusive Transport Strategy: Achieving Equal Access for Disabled People.’ The Department for Transport is committed to ensuring that disabled people and those with hidden impairments such as autistic people have the same access to transport and opportunities to travel as everyone else; and - Through the Disability Confident scheme, the Department for Work and Pensions is engaging with employers, offering guidance and helping to promote the skills, talents and abilities of autistic people and associated hidden impairment conditions. Over 11,000 employers have signed up. A Disability Confident Toolkit has also been developed to provide comprehensive information on autism and hidden impairments, as well as guidance on employment and local authority services. In addition, Access to Work has a hidden impairment support team that aims to give advice and guidance to help employers support employees with conditions such as autism, learning disability and/or mental health conditions and it offers eligible people an assessment to find out their needs at work and help to develop a support plan

Autism: Diagnosis

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the time that people have to wait for a diagnosis of autism.

Caroline Dinenage: We are committed to ensuring adults and children receive a timely autism diagnosis in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. The NHS Long Term Plan was published on 7 January 2019. The Plan commits to improving autism diagnostic pathways in England and ensuring autistic people have access to high-quality care and support in the community. Over the next three years, autism diagnosis will be included alongside work with children and young people’s mental health services to test and implement the most effective ways to reduce waiting times for specialist services. This will be a step towards achieving timely diagnostic assessments in line with best practice guidelines. The Department is determined to drive up performance on autism diagnosis nationally. To support this NHS Digital began formally collecting autism diagnosis waiting time data from mental health provider trusts for the first time through the Mental Health Services Data Set in April 2018. Data is submitted on behalf of autism diagnostic services, in line with issued guidance. The current plan is to publish a report after a year’s data has been collected and analysed, in September/October 2019. As this is the first time this data is being submitted, some work to improve its quality may be necessary. The data being collected covers both adults and children and includes:- The length of time people with suspected autism wait following referral for a diagnosis before an assessment is started (to compare with the 13 week NICE Recommendation);- The number of people within the reporting period receiving an autism diagnosis and the time it took to get the diagnosis;- Profiled information (gender, age, other recorded diagnosis etc);- The number of autistic people seen by mental health services within the reporting period; and- Referrals to NHS services due to autism diagnosis or because autism diagnosis not confirmed, or where no further assessment or treatment was appropriate. In addition, the Department is developing guidance on autism and an accompanying toolkit to support local health and care commissioners with commissioning diagnostic and post-diagnosis services. The guidance will bring together existing guidelines, standards and best practice examples on how to commission effective, high quality services for autistic people. This will include setting out care pathways to support timely diagnosis of autism and effective post-diagnosis support services. We expect the guidance and toolkit to be available by this summer.

Community Care: Learning Disability

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department will meet its target under Transforming Care on time.

Caroline Dinenage: The objective of the Transforming Care programme, as set out in ‘Building the Right Support’, was to reduce the number of people with learning disability and/or autism who were mental health inpatients by 35-50% by the end of March 2019 (compared to a 2015 baseline). So far, there has been just over a 20% reduction. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to achieve at least a 50% reduction in inpatients (compared to the 2015 baseline) by the end of 2023/24. NHS England is committed to achieving a 35% reduction during 2019/20. This is set out in the NHS Planning Guidance, which for clinical commissioning groups and specialised commissioning requires a reduction in reliance on inpatient care to 18.5 inpatients per million adult population by March 2020. The Department will hold NHS England and other delivery partners to account on achieving this.

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether UK citizens living in the European Union and utilising S1 form certificates to access medication for existing chronic conditions will be able to do so in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: On 19 March 2019, I laid a written ministerial statement (HCWS1429) on the Department’s plans for the continuity of reciprocal healthcare arrangements in the event we exit the European Union without a deal. This statement includes specific guidance for residents and posted workers who hold S1 entitlement forms. The United Kingdom has proposed to EU Member States and European Free Trade Association States that we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements, in both a ‘deal’ or ‘no deal’ scenario up until 31 December 2020. This will avoid disruption of healthcare provision which includes access to medication for UK nationals currently living, working, or travelling in the EU. We are also making a guarantee to member states, for the avoidance of any doubt on this issue, that we will reimburse member states for treatments that were ongoing on exit day, for up to one year where this is necessary. Although we have been very clear that we would like to extend all existing healthcare rules, we cannot unilaterally guarantee all EU Member States will recognise EU healthcare entitlement forms including the S1 after exit day, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Health Services: Staff

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether health professionals and other experts in the health sector outside of the appointed national workforce group will be consulted and able to feed into the forthcoming workforce implementation plan.

Stephen Hammond: The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January this year, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs so that nurses and doctors have the time they need to care, working in a supportive culture that allows them to provide the expert compassionate care they are committed providing. To ensure a detailed plan that everyone in the NHS can get behind, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has commissioned Baroness Harding to lead a rapid and inclusive programme of work to set out a detailed workforce implementation plan to be published in the spring. In developing the workforce implementation plan, the NHS has been working with a broad range of experts, including patient groups, the voluntary sector, think tanks, regulatory bodies, academics and trade unions. Patients, the public and staff have all offered their views and have contributed toward the plan’s development through a national steering group and a number of stakeholder events. The NHS has also asked specific questions related to the plan through the Department’s online engagement community (Talk Health and Care) to seek the views of all health and care staff.

Ealing Hospital

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his oral contribution of 26 March 2019, what assessment he has made of the effect on Ealing Hospital of the Government ceasing to support the Shaping a healthier future project.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has made clear that the Shaping a Healthier Future (SaHF) scheme is no longer supported by NHS England, NHS Improvement or the Department of Health and Social Care. This means that the proposed changes to accident and emergency facilities at both Ealing Hospitals and Charing Cross will not now take place. Local commissioners have now agreed to draw the SaHF programme to a conclusion, and NHS England and NHS Improvement will continue to work with the local NHS to develop service plans to improve health and care, in particular continuing to develop community services in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

Health Services (Cross-border Health Care and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contribution of the Minister for Health in the Seventh Delegated Legislation Committee on 25 March 2019, columns 11-12, if he will place in the Library a copy of the communication from the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health for Northern Ireland confirming the assent of the Northern Ireland Civil Service to the draft Health Services (Cross-Border Health Care and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details of his assessment that The Health Services (Cross-Border Health Care And Miscellaneous Amendments)(Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 was required in order to secure legal certainty in Northern Ireland; and on what date that decision was made.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of the officials he consulted with from the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Office who gave consent to the Health Services (Cross-Border Health Care and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Stephen Hammond: The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health for Northern Ireland gave his clearance for The Health Services (Cross-Border Health Care and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 on 31 January 2019, to issue to the Department of Health and Social Care for laying in Westminster. This Statutory Instrument, and other Northern Ireland Statutory Instruments, which have been laid are in line with the wider approach of making the necessary, technical fixes to European Union retained law ahead of exit day, to ensure a functioning statute book in Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom Government remains committed to restoring devolution in Northern Ireland, and this is particularly important in the context of EU exit where we want devolved Ministers to take the necessary actions to prepare Northern Ireland for exit. In the continued absence of a Northern Ireland Executive, UK Government Ministers therefore decided that in the interest of legal certainty in Northern Ireland, the UK Government would take through the necessary secondary legislation at Westminster for Northern Ireland, in close consultation with the Northern Ireland departments. These instruments make technical fixes, rather than any policy changes, as befits the powers in Section 8 of the European Union Withdrawal Act 2018. Department of Health for Northern Ireland officials completed a legislative review in August 2017 as part of Northern Ireland Civil Service’s preparations for EU exit. The legislation, which transposed the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive (Directive 2011/24/EU), was identified as requiring significant amendment, and as being essential for exit day to avoid confusion and to provide clarity around entitlements to healthcare arrangements. The regulations were developed by the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and the Permanent Secretary of Northern Ireland gave his consent for these regulations, and for the instrument to be passed through Westminster.

Epilepsy: Drugs

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans are in place to ensure adequate supplies of epilepsy medication in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. However, as a responsible Government we must plan for every possible outcome including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK. The Government has been working closely with industry to ensure the supply of medicines, including epilepsy medication, can continue uninterrupted in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit. The Department wrote to all suppliers of medicines to the United Kingdom on 26 March to advise them of the changes to EU exit dates, and ask them to continue with preparations to protect patients in all possible outcomes. We are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and medical products will be uninterrupted.

Epilepsy: Drugs

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the sustainability of access to medication to control epilepsy, including access to tegretol.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is responsible for the security of supply of medicines and ensuring continued access to medicines for all patients is a key priority. There is a team within the Department, which deals specifically with medicine supply issues arising both in the community and hospitals. It works closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England and others operating in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when they do arise.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the misdiagnosis of sexual abuse survivors with complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England’s Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault and Abuse Services sets out a clear ambition and a programme of work to improve awareness and training across the workforce, so that victims and survivors will be better able to access specialised services, safeguarding will be enhanced, the quality of care received improved and ultimately patient experience and outcomes heightened.

Junior Doctors: Mental Health

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to offer junior doctors mental health support and pastoral care.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is helping National Health Service trusts in their responsibility for offering junior doctors mental health support and pastoral care through the NHS staff health and wellbeing framework and NHS Improvement’s NHS staff health and wellbeing collaborative. Both incorporate the mental health standards in ‘Thriving at Work – a review of mental health and employers’ produced by Mind. The Workforce Implementation Plan, announced in the NHS Long Term Plan, is prioritising recommendations from Health Education England’s ‘NHS Staff and Learners Mental Wellbeing Commission’ report which should give junior doctors access to board level Well Being Guardians, personal wellbeing supervisors and ‘safe spaces’ for reflection, learning and breaks complementing work with the Care Quality Commission and NHS Improvement to ensure junior doctors have high quality supportive supervision and are not asked to work excessive hours. Doctors in training now report any pressure to work excessive hours to the Guardian of Safe Working.

Life Expectancy

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in life expectancy over the last ten years.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to close the life expectancy gap between socio-economic groups.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Average life expectancy at birth in England has been increasing for men and women and is currently around its highest ever. However, improvements in life expectancy have slowed for both males and females since 2011, and average life expectancy in England is currently stable. The Department published a vision for putting prevention at the heart of the nation's health in November 2018 which set out an ambition for everyone to enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035 and to reduce the gap between the richest and poorest. Later this year we plan to publish a prevention Green Paper which will set out cross-Government plans for prevention in greater detail. We are working across Government and with partners nationally and locally to deal with the conditions that make people ill in the first place. We already have world leading programmes for example on childhood obesity and tobacco control, prevention of diabetes and heart disease. We now need to go further to make sure we are targeting our efforts where the need is greatest. The NHS Long Term Plan sets out new funded action the National Health Service will take to strengthen its contribution to prevention and health inequalities. All major national programmes and every local area across England will be required to set out specific measurable goals and mechanisms by which they will contribute to narrowing health inequalities over the next five and 10 years.

Opiates

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the name and manufacturer of the opioids approved by NICE; and the number of prescriptions for each of those drugs in each year for which data is available.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published technology appraisal guidance recommending the use of methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence. As this was a multiple technology appraisal, multiple companies were involved - MSD Ltd, Martindale Pharmaceuticals, Mylan, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, and Thornton and Ross Ltd. The Department does not hold data on the number of opioid prescriptions. However, NHS Digital holds data based on prescriptions written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England. This data is available as prescription item level data by presentation for opioid analgesics as listed in the British National Formulary (BNF), which is attached. We do not hold data which identifies the manufacturer of each item dispensed. There is no central National Health Service collection of information on medicines issued and used in NHS hospitals in England. 



Prescriptions for opioid analgesics
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.98 KB)

Brain Cancer

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase the funding allocated by his Department to specialist training in neuro-oncology.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs so that the NHS workforce has the time it needs to care, working in a supportive culture that allows them to provide the expert compassionate care they are committed to providing. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding Chair of NHS Improvement, working closely with Sir David Behan, Chair of Health Education England, to oversee the delivery of a workforce implementation plan. This will include proposals to grow the workforce, consideration of additional staff and skills required, building a supportive working culture in the NHS and how to ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff. This will include consideration of the workforce aspects of clinical priorities, including cancer.

Department for International Development

Burma: Rohingya

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the level of investment necessary for (a) the provision of clean water and sanitation and (b) flood protection to make the island of Bhasan Char habitable by Rohingya refugees.

Harriett Baldwin: We have made clear to the Government of Bangladesh that any relocation of refugees to Bhasan Char island must be safe, dignified and in accordance with international humanitarian principles. We fully support the UN’s position on relocations to Bhasan Char, which asks the Government of Bangladesh to allow detailed technical and protection assessments to be conducted of the island. The UN are examining the potential requirements, time frames and costs involved in setting up a humanitarian response on Bhasan Char.

Mozambique: Humanitarian Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Mozambique on that country’s humanitarian needs as a result of Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: The Secretary of State and I have both written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mozambique expressing our condolences and offering our full support. I also spoke to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 28th March, where we discussed needs and I emphasised our continued support. Mozambique has been hardest-hit by Cyclone Idai and the number of displaced people continues to rise, with 136,000 people being sheltered in accommodation centres. The UK was amongst the first to respond and is the largest donor – allocating £22 million for the three countries affected. UK aid is supporting the delivery of essential relief supplies, including thousands of shelter kits, water filters, and family tents. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.

Zimbabwe: Humanitarian Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Zimbabwe on that country’s humanitarian needs as a result of Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: The Secretary of State and I have both written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Zimbabwe expressing our condolences and offering our full support. The UK was amongst the first to respond and is the largest donor – allocating £22 million to the response across the three countries affected. While the impact of Cyclone Idai has not been as severe in Zimbabwe as in Mozambique, the situation remains serious and 4,500 people have been displaced. In Zimbabwe, UK aid is providing support for health, child protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene in the worst-affected areas. DFID is also supporting the provision of emergency latrines and sanitation equipment. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.

Malawi: Storms

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Malawi on that country’s humanitarian needs after Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: The Secretary of State and I have both written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Malawi expressing our condolences and offering our full support. UK staff on the ground are supporting the response with the Government of Malawi. The UK was amongst the first to respond and is the largest donor – allocating £22 million to the response, including £3.4million to Malawi. In Malawi, our support is providing 65,000 people with emergency shelter, 150,000 people with food assistance, 250,000 with access to clean water and sanitation, and 130,000 people with access to health services. We continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.

Israel: Palestinians

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the implications for the Middle East Peace Process of Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat's reported assertion that Palestinians who have murdered Israelis are paid higher salaries.

Harriett Baldwin: No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families. The UK government continues to press the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reform the prisoner payments system to become more needs-based, transparent and affordable. DFID officials most recently raised this at a 21 March 2019 meeting with PA Minister for Finance and Planning Shukri Bishari. The UK Government deplores any act of violence or incitement to violence, and our partnership with the PA includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. We continue to urge the PA to uphold this principle. UK aid to support a stable PA which can act as an effective partner for peace with Israel is essential to UK efforts to prepare the ground for a two-state solution.

International Assistance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government has plans to reduce the proportion of the aid budget which is spent as contributions to multilateral organisations.

Harriett Baldwin: The proportion of our aid that is spent through bilateral programmes and multilateral organisations will be determined through the spending review and will be based on the most effective channels for delivering our objectives.

Plastics: Pollution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion of the Official Development Assistance is spent on tackling plastic pollution.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development currently has £39m of programming as part of an overall package of over £66m of UK Official Development Assistance aimed at tackling plastic pollution. In addition, the UK contributes to multilateral institutions including £250m to the Global Environment Facility and the multilateral development banks, part of which is used to tackle waste and plastic pollution. We do not track the proportion of the overall aid budget that is spent on tackling plastic pollution.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of access for humanitarian supplies from the port of Aden.

Harriett Baldwin: The effective functioning of Aden port is highly important in allowing increased levels of humanitarian supplies entry into Yemen through this port. However, Aden port lacks the necessary berthing, storage, and milling capacity required to maintain the food supply chain to the rest of Yemen. Due to Aden’s location, it would also take several days to transport supplies by road, across multiple conflict frontlines, to reach those who are most in need in northern governorates.  The Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef have an irreplaceable role in preventing a further decline in the humanitarian crisis. These ports act as the entry point for the majority of humanitarian and commercial supplies to people in need in northern governorates.

Yemen: Family Planning and Maternity Services

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to improve women’s access to maternal care and family planning services in Yemen.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK’s humanitarian programmes and policies are actively supporting health and medical services in Yemen, where only 50% of health facilities are functioning and 19.7 million people lack access to health care. This includes increasing women’s access to maternal care and family planning services in Yemen. As part of the UK’s funding to UNICEF over the next three years, we will support 240,000 women each year with reproductive health services, including support for family planning and childbirth.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian impact of the recent escalation of military activity in Hodeidah.

Harriett Baldwin: Since it came into effect in Hodeidah on 18 December, the fragile ceasefire has continued to hold and there has been a general de-escalation by both sides around the city. As a result of the ceasefire, the UN estimates that tens of thousands of IDPs have recently returned to Hodeidah. On 26 February, a UN mission reached the Red Sea Mills facility outside Hodeidah city for the first time in nearly six months, paving the way to releasing enough wheat to feed up to 3.5 million people for a month. Hodeidah port remains open and the food pipeline into Red Sea ports is strong. In February 2019, Yemen imported 114% of its monthly pre-conflict food import requirements. It is imperative that the parties implement the Stockholm agreements, which will secure access into Hodeidah port and vital onward supply routes. There can be no return to major military operations in Hodeidah: this would be catastrophic for Yemen and potentially push millions into famine.

Department for Education

Apprenticeships

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Edge Foundation's report entitled Our Plan for Apprenticeships, published on 2 March,  what assessment he made of the implications for his policies of that report's finding that the number of apprenticeship starts has dropped from 521,000 in 2011-12 to 376,000 in 2017-18; and what steps he is taking to meet the Government’s target of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020.

Anne Milton: In 2015, we set ourselves ambitious targets, but we will not sacrifice quality to get there. We are aware that the number of people starting apprenticeships has dropped, but we have moved away from the old frameworks and onto new, high quality standards, improving the quality of apprenticeships.The number of people starting on these new standards is growing fast. Nearly 60% of people doing an apprenticeship are now starting on standards (in the first 2 quarters of the 2018/19 academic year). In this period, there were 128,100 starts on standards, compared to 71,600 at the same time last year.Employers will lead on the design of new standards, giving apprentices the skills that businesses need. There are now over 420 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery and this number continues to grow. We have made a further £3.5 million available to support the Institute for Apprenticeships to introduce new standards and update existing ones, meaning that there will be more choice for employers and people considering their training options.We are supporting employers to make the long-term, sustainable investment in training which will generate more apprenticeship starts. We have already extended the time levy-paying employers have to spend their funds from 18 to 24 months, and we will increase the amount of funding that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%, from April 2019, to make the system more flexible. To ease the cost of apprenticeship training for small employers, we are halving the co-investment rate from 10% to 5% for new starts from April 2019.Our new communication campaign, ‘Fire it Up’, is working to grow the number of high-quality apprenticeships offered and started, by changing the way people think about apprenticeships, demonstrating that they are an aspirational choice.

Social Services: Children

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the level of demand for children’s social care services on the adequacy of funding allocated to local authorities to provide those services.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of demand for children’s social care services in the timeframe of the next Spending Review.

Nadhim Zahawi: We monitor the number of children looked-after, the number of children with child protection plans, and children in need on an ongoing basis.Local authority level data since 2013 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait.National level children in need and service use since 2010 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need, and: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.The most common factors recorded in children’s social care assessments are domestic abuse and mental health. These have been consistently the top 2 factors for the years during which we have collected this data and have risen in line with trends in demand.Over the 5-year period to 2019-20, councils have access, through the local government finance settlement (LGFS), to over £200 billion to deliver local services, including children’s services. Core spending power has increased from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20.In addition to this the Autumn Budget announced a further £410 million in 2019-20 for local authorities to invest in adult and children’s social care services. It also announced £84 million of extra funding, over the next 5 years, to support local authorities to invest in initiatives that improve social work practice and decision making.The Department for Education are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the review of relative needs and resources to develop a robust, up-to-date approach to funding distribution for children's services at LGFSs.The government will continue to work closely with the sector to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Pre-school Education: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the outcomes of spending on early interventions for nursery and reception children in (a) York and (b) Yorkshire.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measure of performance his Department uses to monitor the outcomes of early years spending from the public purse in (a) Leigh constituency (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects to monitor the effectiveness of money allocated from the public purse to early years early intervention strategies in (a) Kirklees and (b) Yorkshire.

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects to monitor the effectiveness of money allocated from the public purse to early years early intervention strategies in (a) Kirklees and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects in relation to the effectiveness of early years early intervention strategies in (a) Hull, (b) East Riding of Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and Humber.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects to monitor the effectiveness of early years early intervention strategies in (a) Birmingham Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham City and (c) the West Midlands.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Public Health Outcomes Framework is a comprehensive source of data at local authority unitary, county and district level on the extent to which local strategies are successful and effective in improving outcomes for children in the early years. It is available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework.The framework includes data on outcomes for children aged 5 from the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP). Further information on the EYFSP is broken down by local authority and available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2017-to-2018. We do not publish this data at constituency or combined authority level.

Pre-school Education: Disadvantaged

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of spending on early interventions for nursery and reception children on the attainment gap; and what steps his Department is taking to measure that effect.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is investing in developing the evidence base for ‘what works’ in the early years. The government committed £8.5 million in the 2017 social mobility action plan to conduct robust trials of early interventions to improve children’s ‘home learning environment’, and to evaluate interventions to improve outcomes through improved practice in settings. This work is being undertaken in collaboration with the Educational Endowment Foundation (EEF).The EEF, and the Early Intervention Foundation - which is also funded by the department – produce comprehensive and rigorous information on the effectiveness of early interventions in the early years, as part of the What Works Network: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/early-years-toolkit/, and https://guidebook.eif.org.uk/.The department monitors attainment and the gap between disadvantaged children (those in receipt of free school meals) and their peers using the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. 71.5% of children achieved a good level of development in 2018, up from 51.7% in 2013 (the longest period for which we have comparable data). The gap has narrowed by 1.7 percentage points since 2013 (again, the longest period for which we have comparable data).

Schools: Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools in Birkenhead have expanded their intake without undertaking a public consultation in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2019 to Question 229154 on Department for Education: Public Expenditure, how much of the (a) £23 billion his Department has allocated to the school estate and (b) £7 billion his Department has allocated for the creation of new school places between 2015 and 2021 will be spent in the fiscal year (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2018-19, (iv) 2019-20 and (v) 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he took in response to the letter of September 2018 from experts and organisations on his Department's myth-busting document.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason his Department did not hold meetings with concerned charities when it received the letter of September 2018 on his Department's myth-busting document from experts and organisations.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what internal checks his Department made prior to publishing the myth-busting document on that document.

Nadhim Zahawi: The publication of the myth-busting guide, published in July 2018, was intended to clarify certain areas of the statutory guidance which practitioners had said were ambiguous or had given rise to incorrect assumptions about what is permissible.When we received the letter from children’s rights organisations and experts we replied to make clear that nothing in the guide sought to alter legislation and that statutory guidance remained in force.Our statutory guidance continues to set out how local authorities should operate in order to provide the best services for vulnerable children and young people and make sure everyone is given the chance to succeed.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are currently eligible for 15 hours of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year olds; and what proportion of eligible children are in receipt of that childcare.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of eligible children are receiving 15 hours of free childcare for disadvantaged two-year olds in each local authority.

Nadhim Zahawi: In January 2018, 154,960 two year olds benefitted from funded early education, representing 72% of the eligible population. Local authority breakdowns are available in Tables 1A and 8LA of the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age, January 2018’ national statistics release, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2018.The 2019 national statistics release, covering the position in January 2019, will be published in June 2019.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average cost to the public purse is of providing 15 hours of free childcare for a disadvantaged two-year old.

Nadhim Zahawi: The average cost to the public purse of providing 15 hours, across 38 weeks, of free childcare for a disadvantaged two-year-old is around £3,080.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of disadvantaged children are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare.

Nadhim Zahawi: Eligibility for the 30 hours entitlement is based on parental income. It is available to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and each parent earns the equivalent of a weekly minimum of 16 hours at national minimum wage or national living wage, and less than £100,000 per year. This also includes self-employed parents and parents on zero-hour contracts.The government has made provisions to ensure that parents in certain circumstances will be regarded as being in work. This includes couple families where one parent is in receipt of benefits relating to caring responsibilities or their disability.Full details on the eligibility criteria are set out in the regulations, which can be found here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1257/contents/made.

Local Government Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish (a) which local authorities underspent their early years block allocations, (b) the amount of each such underspend and (c) the amount and proportion of each such underspend which was transferred to the High Needs block in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information is published on local authorities’ expenditure and the allocations made to them by the department. We do not currently publish any specific data about underspends. The Education and Skills Funding Agency publish information provided by local authorities on their total dedicated schools grant (DSG) actual expenditure, including early years block, through Section 251 outturn returns: 2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2015-to-2016#section-251-benchmarking-data.2016-17: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017#section-251-outturn-data.2017-18: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2017-to-2018. The outturn data for 2018-19 will be available in December 2019. The department’s final DSG funding allocation to local authorities for the early years block can be found here:2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016.2016-17: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017.2017-18: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2017-to-2018.

Schools: Homophobia

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of homophobic abuse of pupils in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Crimes of Violence

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many violent incidents directed at teachers at schools there were in each of the last five academic years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Day Care

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department spent on (a) the universal 15 hours of free childcare for three to four-year olds, (b) the extended entitlement for eligible three to four-year old children of working parents and (c) free childcare for two year olds in 2016-17.

Nadhim Zahawi: The total final dedicated schools grant funding allocations for 2016-17 were: £2.22 billion for the universal 15 hours of free childcare for 3 to 4-year-olds; Nil for the extended entitlement for 3 to 4-year-old children of working parents (the extended entitlement was introduced in September 2017); and £454 million for the free childcare entitlement for 2-year-olds. Full details can be found in the first attachment at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the myth-busting document on guidance for local authorities was withdrawn on 20 March 2019.

Nadhim Zahawi: ​The Children’s Social Care myth busting guide was intended to bring clarity to some parts of guidance that had been raised with the department. However, the points raised by Article 39 suggest that the guide did not achieve that.  Rather than divert time and resources to litigation we decided to withdraw the guide in its present form pending a full reconsideration of its contents.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice his Department received which led to the myth-busting document on guidance for local authorities being withdrawn on 20 March 2019.

Nadhim Zahawi: In accordance with usual convention, legal advice is not disclosed outside government. This ensures the government can obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.

European Social Fund

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer  of 27 March 2019 to Question 235786, if he will publish the (a) list and (b) value of the 294 European Social Fund contracts with the Education and Skills Funding Agency; and if he will publish the (i) list and (ii) value of the 132 European Social Fund contracts due to run from April 2019 to 2021.

Anne Milton: A list of current 2014-2020 European Social Fund (ESF) contracts, including their values, is published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esf-2014-to-2020-programme-list-of-contracts.The Education and Skills Funding Agency are finalising procurement for new contracts to cover the period April 2019-2020. A list of these contracts, including their values, will be published on GOV.UK within 30 days of contracts being signed by successful providers, in line with the requirements of the ESF programme and Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost to the public purse was of providing 30 hours of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds in the (a) autumn 2018 and b) spring 2019 terms.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government funds local authorities to deliver the early years entitlements on a financial year basis. Allocations for each of the 3 and 4-year old entitlements are:   2018-19 allocation (provisional)Universal 15 hours entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds£2.29 billionAdditional 15 hours entitlement for eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds£693 million Full details, including allocations for the other early years funding streams (15 hours entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-old children, the early years pupil premium, disability access fund and maintained nursery schools supplementary funding) can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019. Final funding allocations for 2018-19 will be updated in the summer using data from the January 2019 schools and early years census.

Academies

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary academies that are awaiting re-brokering as of 27 March 2019.

Nadhim Zahawi: As at 27 March 2019, our records show that 93 academies are in the process of transferring to different trusts. Of these, 48 are primary schools and 42 are secondary schools. The remaining 3 in progress are 2 special schools and one alternative provision. Academies may transfer to other trusts in a range of circumstances. In some cases, the relevant Regional Schools Commissioner may intervene due to concerns about academy performance. In other cases, an academy may be moving trust as part of an agreed voluntary arrangement.

Apprentices

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on promoting and increasing apprenticeships in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Angus.

Anne Milton: Apprenticeship policy is devolved to Scotland, and any measures to promote apprenticeships there are a matter for the Scottish government.In England, we want to increase the number of high-quality apprenticeships. In January we launched a major new communication campaign, ‘Fire it Up’, which seeks to change the way people think about apprenticeships and demonstrate that they are an aspirational choice for anyone with passion and energy.National Apprenticeship week, which took place 4-8 March this year, is an annual opportunity to celebrate apprenticeships and their impact on individuals, employers, and the economy. This year’s theme, ‘Blaze a Trail’, was inspired by the Fire it Up campaign and featured in over 1250 events across the country to encourage everyone to recognise the change that apprenticeships can bring. Over 1900 features and articles appeared during the week, in media outlets as diverse as BBC Breakfast, Cosmopolitan, and the Financial Times.

Teachers: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason his Department has cancelled the further education teacher bursaries scheme.

Anne Milton: The bursaries scheme for maths and English teacher training in further education (FE) was launched in 2013/14 and was initially intended to run for 2 years, to support providers in meeting additional recruitment needs arising from the condition of funding around GCSE resits. We subsequently extended the programme over a total of 6 academic years. Funding for the scheme, secured through the last Spending Review, has now come to an end.We have been working closely with FE providers and representative organisations to understand the current challenges faced around teacher recruitment and retention in the sector. We are looking carefully at how best we can support the FE sector to meet existing and emerging workforce challenges, and will be making the case for the necessary investment as part of the forthcoming Spending Review

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the National Deaf Children’s Society’s press release of 18 March 2019, A system in crisis: the daily battle for specialist teachers, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of specialist teachers.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the National Deaf Children’s Society’s press release of 18 March 2019, A system in crisis: the daily battle for specialist teachers, if his Department will increase support for teachers of deaf children.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to introduce a bursary scheme for new teachers of deaf children.

Nadhim Zahawi: I am determined that all children and young people, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, receive the support they need to achieve the success they deserve.We recognise that the high needs budget faces significant pressures and our additional investment will help to manage those pressures. The additional £250 million funding for high needs brings the total allocated for high needs to £6.1 billion 2018-19 and £6.3 billion in 2019-20.The ‘Special Educational Needs in England: January 2018’ statistical release showed that 94% of pupils that identified with hearing impairment as their primary type of need are learning in mainstream settings. It is therefore important that teachers in mainstream schools, as well as those in specialist settings, have access to the training they need to support their individual pupils. The Whole School SEND Consortium is being funded by the Department to embed special educational needs and disability (SEND) into school improvement in order to equip the workforce to deliver high quality teaching across all types of SEND, including children and young people with hearing impairment.I recently met with the National Deaf Children’s Society and asked my officials to consider their proposal for a central bursary scheme for Teachers of the Deaf. They will report to me once they have collected all of the relevant information.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Computers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 217437 on Disabled Students' Allowances: Computers, if he will publish those contracts.

Chris Skidmore: The Student Loans Company, as one of the department’s non-departmental public bodies, is subject to the government’s transparency requirements and will publish any contract with a value over £10,000 on Contracts Finder subject to any applicable redactions.

Ministry of Justice

Crown Courts: Equality

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's report, Tackling Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System: 2018 Update, published in October 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of implementing recommendation 13 on publishing all sentencing remarks in the Crown Court in audio and/or written form.

Edward Argar: We welcomed David Lammy MP’s Review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority individuals in the Criminal Justice System when it was published in 2017. We remain committed to taking each recommendation from that review forward in some way.Ensuring that the courts are both transparent and comprehensible is essential, and publishing sentencing remarks would enable greater public understanding of sentencing decisions. We continue to consider how recommendation 13 could be taken forward. We are considering how the HMCTS Court Reform Programme and continuing developments in technology could provide new, cost-effective options for taking this forward.

Mother and Baby Units

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on plans to revise the Prison Service Instruction for Mother and Baby Units which expired at the end of last year; and whether those plans will include mandatory standards for the care and support of all pregnant women and new mothers in custody, including those who are separated from their babies.

Edward Argar: There are plans to conduct a full review of the Mother and Baby Unit instruction imminently, and will consult with stakeholders in the summer. As part of the review we will look at what can usefully be included within the instruction to support all pregnant women and new mothers. This will also take account of mothers who are separated from their babies. The review will involve consultation from colleges in other government departments as well as our stakeholders.

Debt Collection

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the process of applying for enforcement of debt payment and (b) support people having difficulties in recovering payments owed to them by debtors.

Lucy Frazer: The civil courts in England and Wales already offer several different enforcement methods that a creditor may use to recover money or property owed on a court order or judgment. These are individually designed to address the differing financial circumstances of the debtor and collectively they aim to make it as difficult as possible for debtors to avoid their responsibilities. As part of its Reform Programme, HM Courts and Tribunal Service will be reforming how court judgments and orders are enforced, which will include making the application process available online. The online enforcement service will provide improved guidance and information and will streamline the process making it simple and straight-forward for people to enforce an unpaid debt, providing users with regular and relevant updates about the progress of their case. More widely, the Ministry of Justice is currently reviewing the implementation of the 2014 enforcement agent reforms introduced by the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. The overarching aim of the reforms was to ensure that debts could be collected effectively whilst offering protection against enforcement agents who used aggressive methods. We have recently concluded a Call for Evidence on the 2014 reforms, and will set out our response by the summer recess.

Prison Officers: Training

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what revised training is being provided to existing prison officers to ensure that they are equipped to support a rehabilitative approach for offenders in custody; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Newly recruited prison officers are required to complete a 12 week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course which is reviewed every 6 months. This training provides new officers with a foundation level of training in all core skill areas of which rehabilitation is a continued theme throughout. Key topics include:Introduction to Rehabilitation and Building a Rehabilitate CultureFive Minute InterventionProcedural Justice PerceptionsPrisoner EducationKey WorkerOffender Manager Key Worker Champions deliver a training package locally within their own establishments to all operational Bands 3-5. This training is then further supported by the delivery of an ‘Offender Manager Key Worker’ skills training, which seeks to utilise the 10 skills from the ‘Five minute intervention’ training that all operational staff receive.Additionally there is an extensive training programme for Prison Offender Managers which is a blended delivery approach of workbooks, e-learning and face to face learning of the below key topics:Core concepts and key skillsRisk assessment, planning and managementChild safeguarding and domestic abuseAdult safeguarding All Prison and Probation staff have access to myLearning which provides ongoing e-learning training for staff where they are able to complete essential learning for their specific role.

Victims and Witnesses

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has he made on implementing the recommendations contained in A Voice for the Voiceless: The Victims’ Commissioner’s Review into the Provision of Registered Intermediaries for Children and Vulnerable Victims and Witnesses, published in January 2018.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice responded to the Victims’ Commissioner’s comprehensive review of the provision of Registered Intermediaries, making these commitments: to review governance of the Witness Intermediary Scheme; to consider whether to appoint a National Lead Registered Intermediary; to publish an annual report; and to promote the role of Registered Intermediaries.The department have delivered on these commitments and introduced improvements to governance, including the introduction of Regional Coordinator roles for exceptional Registered Intermediaries – which are more appropriate for the scheme than a National Lead. An annual report is due to be published in the summer, the scheme now has a page on Gov.uk and work is ongoing to promote the role of Registered Intermediaries.

Ministry of Justice: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people working on developing Criminal Justice System Common Platform are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Edward Argar: As at 27 March 2019, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) employed(a) 8 contingent labour.(b) You asked us to provide you with the amount of supplier resource working on reform. We currently contract with a number of suppliers to provide service to us in a number of different ways. Predominantly we contract with suppliers for outcome based deliverables and as such the supplier is responsible for assessing how many resources they need to deliver. This can be flexed and therefore we are unable to provide you with an exact number of supplier resources working across the Crime Programme.(c) 60 civil servants are currently working on developing the Crime Programme.

Theft: Prosecutions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Out of Court Disposals for shop theft.

Rory Stewart: We recognise that shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It causes cost and disruption to businesses, as well as damage to communities and consumers. We encourage all victims, including shop workers, to report these crimes to the police so that they can be recorded and dealt with accordingly. Out of Court Disposals are one important tool available in addressing shop theft – they allow the police to deal quickly and proportionately with low-level offending. Where an Out of Court Disposal is appropriate, we encourage the use of disposals which have a condition attached (be that rehabilitative, reparative, punitive or restrictive). This can achieve rapid compensation and/or divert vulnerable offenders with substance misuse or mental health issues into rehabilitative services to address the root causes of their offending behaviour. We pay attention to trends and changes in the use of Out of Court Disposals on an ongoing basis.

Prisons: Ambulance Services

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2019 to Question 217065 on Prisons: Drugs, how many ambulances attended each prison as a result of (a) injuries due to exposure to psychoactive substance and (b) all injuries in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: Protecting the health and safety of our staff and prisoners is of the utmost importance. We take all reported incidents seriously and work hard to mitigate any risks that staff or prisoners face. Information on ambulance attendance at prisons could only be obtained from prison records at disproportionate costs as central records are not kept by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS continues to develop with NHS and Public Health partners the use of data and evidence to support both health and justice outcomes for people in prison.

Immigration: Ghana

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that out-of-country appeals from Ghana are conducted fairly and without prejudice to an appellant’s case; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Proceedings in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) are managed in accordance with the Chamber Rules which provide flexibility for dealing with individual cases. The Rules give the Tribunal Judge wide case management powers in order to ensure that cases are dealt with fairly and justly whether in country or out of country.

Community Orders

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of increasing the use of community service rather than short term prison sentences for minor offences.

Rory Stewart: There is a strong case to abolish sentences of six months or less, with some exceptions. We are therefore exploring options to restrict the use of short custodial sentences, but we have not at this stage reached any conclusions.There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders.Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, much money it costs his Department on average to hold a claimant's tribunal relating to personal independence payment.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally. The cost of Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance hearings is included in the overall cost of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support Appeal).

Prisons: Discipline

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions (a) police officers and (b) other additional support has had to be brought in to prisons in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: This information is not held by the MoJ. Police Officers can perform a variety of roles in assisting Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) establishments ranging from Scenes of Crime preservation to Perimeter Security.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Caribbean

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement, what steps he is taken to increase trade links with those countries.

George Hollingbery: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 29 March 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The UK signed the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on Friday 22 March 2019 with nine CARIFORUM states. The remaining 54 states will sign as their domestic processes allow. This will provide continuity in our trading arrangements after the UK leaves the EU. The UK is currently designing a package of funding to help businesses in the Caribbean to take full advantage of the market access granted by the EPA, recognising that even in the absence of tariffs, a number of barriers remain which may prevent firms from being able to export to the UK.

George Hollingbery: The UK signed the CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on Friday 22 March 2019 with nine CARIFORUM states. The remaining 54 states will sign as their domestic processes allow. This will provide continuity in our trading arrangements after the UK leaves the EU. The UK is currently designing a package of funding to help businesses in the Caribbean to take full advantage of the market access granted by the EPA, recognising that even in the absence of tariffs, a number of barriers remain which may prevent firms from being able to export to the UK.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse has been of spending on advertising related to the exit date of the UK leaving the EU being 29 March 2019.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade has not spent any money on advertising related to the exit date of the UK leaving the EU being 29 March 2019.

Department for International Trade: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the process for investigation of alleged breaches of the Special Adviser Code of Conduct is.

Graham Stuart: The responsibility for the conduct of Special Advisers, including discipline, rests with the appointing Minister.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 232574 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his Department consulted the Local Government Association on the design of the test.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has not consulted the Local Government Association on the design of the test. As with previous tests, we will work with industry bodies to ensure that the design is representative of industry practice.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 232020 on Buildings: Insulation, if the test with high-pressure laminate B and stonewool results in a failure whether the Government will advise that combinations with high-pressure laminate and combustible insulation should be removed from buildings.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 18 March to Question UIN 232021.

Local Plans

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220837 on Local Plans, whether his Department has no plans to set a deadline for local authorities to have a local plan.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 22 February 2019 to Question UIN 220837.

Land: Ownership

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220834, what progress his Department has made since 2017 in increasing transparency on who owns land privately held and the options held over it.

Kit Malthouse: The total amount of freehold land registered with HM Land Registry continues to increase at an average rate of 0.1 per cent a month, and now stands at 86.5 per cent (87.4 per cent in England and 80.6 per cent in Wales). HM Land Registry receives, on average, around 400 registrations of land each day which extends the Land Register.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220826 on Housing: Construction, whether his Department has made an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding lost to local authorities when new homes are created under permitted development rather than through granted planning permission.

Kit Malthouse: We are clear that permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are making an important contribution to housing delivery, with over 46,000 homes to rent or buy delivered under the rights in the three years to March 2018. Where additional floor space is created through exercise of the permitted development rights, community infrastructure levy is payable where an authority has a charging schedule in place.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220840 on Housing: Construction, whether his Department has made no assessment of the suitability of the location of housing created under permitted development.

Kit Malthouse: Data is collected on how many homes are created under permitted development rights for change of use in each local authority. This does not include information on their location within the authority area. The National Planning Policy Framework recognises that local planning authorities can tailor planning controls to local circumstance, and make an Article 4 direction to remove a permitted development right where it is necessary to protect the amenity or well-being of the area.

Community Relations: Islam

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to implement the commitment in the integration communities action plan to support the anti-muslim hatred working group to work with IPSO to develop guidance for (a) editors and (b) journalists to tackle the negative portrayal of muslims in the media.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Members of the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group (AMHWG) continue to engage with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) on the development of guidance for editors and journalists on the reporting of Muslims in the media. Members are currently working with IPSO to develop and refine the guidance.This work is an important contribution towards commitments set out in the Integrated Communities Action Plan and Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan refresh.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Domestic Abuse

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to (a) protect (i) military personnel and (ii) their spouses and children in relation to domestic abuse and (b) ensure the protection of people reporting that abuse.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what monitoring his Department undertakes on reports of domestic abuse in (a) his Department and (b) each of the armed services.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) charities and (b) other support services his Department engages with in order to provide support to military personnel and their families affected by domestic abuse.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what monitoring his Department undertakes of incidents of domestic abuse throughout the military estate (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure the adequacy of the (a) recording of domestic abuse and (b) the provision of that information to support services on each military base.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our policy and processes for dealing with Domestic Abuse are kept under regular review, and have featured in the current review into the Service Justice System.We already have an exceptionally robust Domestic Abuse policy. However, we are not complacent and will be considering recommendations about who should deal with cases, how they should be recorded, provision of training and adoption of best practice. The recommendations from the Gateshead Community Safety Board Domestic Homicide Review into the death of Miss Alice Ruggles have a bearing on this, and will, of course, be considered very carefully.On the specific questions relating to the current monitoring, reporting and recording of domestic abuse incidents across the three Services, we are still collecting that data, and I will write to the hon. Member with a full response in due course.

Armed Forces: Domestic Abuse

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel have been prosecuted for domestic abuse in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Domestic abuse is a very important issue and we treat allegations of domestic abuse very seriously. Where an allegation of domestic abuse is made to the Service police and they retain jurisdiction, they will investigate the matter fully; or, if an allegation is being investigated by the Civil police, the Service police will provide assistance as required. The following table provides details of the number of Service personnel prosecuted for domestic abuse by the Service Prosecuting Authority at a Court Martial: YearNumbers of Service personnel prosecuted for domestic abuse at Court Martial201812*201716201619201520201436 Notes:Of the 12 cases in 2018, five cases directed for Court Martial are still awaiting trial. Figures do not include cases prosecuted by other authorities, for example the Crown Prosecution Service, Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, the Procurator Fiscal or overseas authorities. Figures also do not include cases which may involve minor violence in a domestic setting which were dealt with at a Summary Hearing.

Defence: Employment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support defence industry jobs.

Stuart Andrew: I refer the hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS 1411) made by the Secretary of State for Defence on 14 March 2019 which provides an update on the Defence Prosperity Programme.



Update on Defence Prosperity Programme
(Word Document, 32.66 KB)

Uganda: Military Aid

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support the UK Government provides to Uganda’s Special Forces Command.

Mark Lancaster: The Ugandan Special Forces Command is not provided with direct support by HM Government.

Uganda: Military Aid

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176667 on Uganda: Military Aid, which Ugandan units the UK Government provided support to in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019; and whether any of those units are part of the Ugandan Special Forces Command.

Mark Lancaster: Her Majesty's Government has provided military support to the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) during 2017 - 2019, and to the Ugandan Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Police Force in 2017 and 2018. Support to the Wildlife Authority and Police was in countering the illegal wildlife trade, and the Police also received training in countering improvised explosive devices.Support to the UPDF consisted of activity with several different units; none of these units is part of the Ugandan Special Forces Command.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of to Question 200586, and with reference to National Archives documents Annex G to O92/2534(ASD 26) dated 9 January 1957, and C/6084/PA 1(b) dated 19 November 1957, in which Department the results of the samples referred to in those documents are held.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 38 of the report of the Director of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment on Operation Hurricane, ref AWRE-T1/54, what records his Department holds on urine samples taken from servicemen present at the UK atomic weapons tests in the 1950s.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Any records that exist of blood or urine samples taken at the UK atomic weapon tests may be retained in the serviceman's record which if held could be at either the Government's or Ministry of Defence's archive. These medical records are unlikely to be collated in a form related to samples or incidences.

Yemen: Overseas Workers

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether (a) UK military forces and (b) UK passport holders contracted to work for the (i) Saudi Arabian and (ii) UK Government are operating inside Yemen.

Mark Lancaster: The UK provides information, advice and assistance to Saudi Arabia to respond to the threat of strategic weapons fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia. We are not and have never been a member of the Saudi-led coalition. Our assistance is clearly limited to addressing this specific threat. UK military personnel in Saudi Arabia remain under UK command and control.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on non-MOD personnel. That is a matter for the individual concerned.

Warships: Procurement

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on procuring (a) type 31e frigates and (b) fleet support ships; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: There has been no change to our plans. On Type 31e, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence (the Rt Hon the Earl Howe), on 6 March 2019 (Official Report, Col. 608) in the House of Lords. On Fleet Solid Support procurement, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2019 to Question 234164 to the hon. Member for Clwyd South (Ms Jones).



Type31e Frigates
(Word Document, 33.12 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the bedroom tax on payments to universal credit claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: The removal of Spare Room Subsidy was monitored and evaluated over a two-year period from April 2013. The interim report that was published in July 2014 identified that claimants were either increasing their hours of work, or earnings in order to meet the shortfall in their rent. The final report was published in December 2015 and this showed that the policy promoted more effective use of housing stock and encouraging people to enter work and increase their earnings. We are therefore maintaining this policy and continue to protect vulnerable claimants who require additional support through Discretionary Housing Payments.

National Insurance Credits

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what benefits credits for approved training, as defined by Section 7 of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 SI 1975/556, were valid for (a) on 26 March 2019 and (b) in 2002.

Alok Sharma: On 26 March 2019, as in 2002, the regulations provide for a person to be credited with earnings for the purposes of entitlement to any benefit for a period where they were undertaking a course of ‘approved training’ as defined.

National Insurance Credits

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the age restriction is for credits for approved training under Section 7 of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975 SI 1975/556.

Alok Sharma: A person must have reached the age of 18 before the beginning of the tax year in which the course of approved training began.

Department for Work and Pensions: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to answer Question 209292 asked on 16 January 2019 by the hon Member. for Vale of Clwyd.

Alok Sharma: I replied to the hon. Member’s Question on 28th March 2019.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2019 to Question 216920, what plans she has to publish Youth Obligation outcome data; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have joined the Youth Obligation programme since 1 January 2019.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Obligation participants have secured (a) employment, (b) traineeships, (c) work placements and (d) apprenticeships since 1 January 2019.

Alok Sharma: We have completed clerically collecting Management Information on live Youth Obligation Support Programme participants as at the end of January 2019. This is in the process of being quality assured before we consider plans to publish this data.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all PIP assessors have undertaken training on understanding the (a) nature and (b) impact of fluctuating medical conditions.

Justin Tomlinson: All Health Professionals receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions affect an individual. Furthermore, any health professional undertaking assessments must have at least two years' experience following registration It is recognised that, over time, most conditions fluctuate to some degree and so it is essential that the Personal Independent Payment assessment works for people with fluctuating conditions. Health Professionals carrying out assessments are directed to take a view of an individual’s ability over a longer period of time in order to establish a more coherent picture of the disabling effects of an individual’s health condition.

Personal Independence Payment: Greater London

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of personal independence payment claimants with mental health conditions have had their application granted in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency, (b) Southwark, and (c) London in each of the last five years.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of personal independence payment claimants with physical health conditions have their application granted in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency, (b) Southwark, and (c) London in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by geographical area (local authority and parliamentary constituency), by calendar month, by main disabling condition and by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Note that the Department only holds data on the main disabling condition of a claimant. It is possible for a claimant with mental health condition as a main disabling condition to have a physical health condition as a secondary or tertiary condition and vice versa.

Personal Independence Payment

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of personal independence payment assessment meetings are carried out (a) at the claimant’s home and (b) in assessment centres.

Justin Tomlinson: In 2018 the proportion of Personal Independence Payment face-to-face assessment meetings carried out at the claimant’s home was 29% and in assessment centres was 71%.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department receives information automatically from HMRC when a tax refund is paid directly by HMRC to a universal credit claimant.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not receive automatic information regarding a tax refund if it is paid directly by HMRC to a Universal Credit Claimant.

Universal Credit

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have made use of implied consent when making a claim under the legacy system.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have made use of explicit consent when making a claim under universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Explicit consent is not required to make a new claim. If claimants cannot make or manage their claim on-line, they can receive face to face support through their local jobcentre, assistance through our Freephone telephone number or with support from a third party agency. Once the claim is made, claimants who require agencies to act on their behalf can provide explicit consent. As explicit consent can only be given after a claim has been made this data does not exist.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 Match 2019 to Question 235316 on Working Links, if he will meet with supply chain partners in Easington constituency effected by the collapse of Working Links (Employment) Ltd.

Justin Tomlinson: Supply chain partners effected are encouraged to engage with commercial officials to help identify lessons learnt to feed into our future employment contracting strategy.

Social Security Benefits: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of social security benefit recipients who will be transferred to universal credit in each local authority area of Wales in each year from 2019 to 2023.

Alok Sharma: Forecasts for Universal Credit below national level are not available. However, our latest estimates following the Spring Statement 2019 indicate that nationally 4.3 million claimants will move to Universal Credit from legacy benefits in total. Of these:1.8 million claimants will move to Universal Credit by the Department and2.5 million will be as a result of a change of circumstances

Social Security Benefits

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to restore inflation-linked up-rating to working age social security benefits.

Justin Tomlinson: The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 froze the majority of working-age benefits for four tax years from 2016-17. The relevant provisions will lapse in 2020 and the pre-existing statutory arrangements will come back into force.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter from the hon. Member for Edinburgh East of 14 January 2019 and response from the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, of 12 March 2019, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a moratorium on benefits assessments for individuals involved in the Infected Blood Inquiry for the duration of that inquiry.

Justin Tomlinson: It is important that claimants are reassessed at appropriate intervals to ensure that their benefit entitlement is correct, as a person’s health condition and its impact on their capacity to work can change. The Department does not therefore consider it appropriate to suspend assessments for individuals involved in the Infected Blood Inquiry for the duration of that Inquiry.

Low Incomes

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times (a) Ministers and b) civil servants from her Department met with representatives from the Low Income Tax Reform Group in each of the last five years.

Alok Sharma: The Department engages with a diverse range of stakeholders on a wide range of topics and issues including with the Low Income Tax Reform Group (LITRG). They are a member of the Departmental Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum (OSEF) which meets quarterly allowing stakeholders to shape operational delivery and builds positive relationships between national stakeholders and DWP. The forum also enables key messages to be communicated to stakeholders in the most efficient and cost effective way. LITRG have also attended two events with Civil Servants working on Universal Credit in the last year. Further information on meetings over the past 5 years is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the five week wait for payment on universal credit on an individual's ability to manage their money.

Alok Sharma: No claimant has to go five weeks without receiving support, as advances, worth up to 100 per cent of a claimant’s indicative award, are available up front, if there is a need. Advances are paid back over a period of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months.New Claims are often made as a result of a life event such as losing a job or separating from a partner, and these events can be associated with financial problems. To support our claimants fully at these times, the Department has introduced a number of measures to support claimants before they receive their first Universal Credit award. Following the Autumn Budget 2017, we have already removed waiting days and are providing an additional 2 weeks of Housing Benefit to eligible claimants to support them when they move to Universal Credit.From July 2020, we are introducing a two-week run-on for all those on Employment Support allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s allowance who move to Universal Credit and their claim for Universal Credit terminates their existing benefit award On the 1st January 2019, The Money and Pension Service (MAPS) replaced the three existing providers of government-sponsored financial guidance – the Money Advice Service, the Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise – which has brought together the provision of debt advice, money guidance and pension guidance for the first time.The new body delivers free and impartial financial guidance and a more streamlined service to members of the public providing easier access to the information and guidance.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure recipients of universal credit can rent accommodation from private landlords.

Justin Tomlinson: We know that there are people who have experienced difficulties when trying to rent a property whilst claiming benefit. We strongly encourage landlords and agents to consider all potential and existing tenants in receipt of Universal Credit on an individual basis. We are keen to understand more about the issue and work with stakeholders to consider what further action Government might take. With Universal Credit, payments can be paid directly to the landlords and we continue to listen to feedback and work with landlords to improve the system. We have recently announced further changes to make it simpler for landlords to request direct payments through Universal Credit.

Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2019 to Question 235371, if she will publish the number of alleged breaches of the Special Advisers Code of Conduct by her Department's Special Advisers in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has no plans to publish this information.

Universal Credit: Glasgow South West

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many advance payments have been paid to universal claimants resident in the Glasgow South West constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit Live Service rolled out across Glasgow in June 2015. Universal Credit full service began to rollout across Glasgow from September 2018, with the final site rolling out in November 2018. The most recent available data for, Universal Credit Live Service and Universal Credit Full service combined, shows that since rollout, 3800 advance payments have been made to claimants in Glasgow South West. Nationally, for Universal Credit Full Service, around 60% of new claims receive an advance.

Food Banks: Glasgow South West

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to visit a foodbank in Glasgow South West constituency in April 2019; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP Ministers regularly travel across the country visiting jobcentres, charities, food banks and partnership organisations. As you can appreciate, we get many requests for visits right across the country and try to get to as many places as is possible with the constraints of Departmental business and the Parliamentary timetable.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Derelict Land

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential benefits for the environment of brownfield regeneration rather than development on green fields.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government worked closely during the revision of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last year. The NPPF places a strong emphasis on making effective use of land, with authorities expected to make as much use as possible of suitable brownfield sites before considering development on green fields.

Poultry: USA

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that standards of poultry welfare are maintained in a potential future trade agreement with the US.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is proud of the high food safety and animal welfare standards that underpin our high-quality Great British produce. The UK will maintain its high standards as part of any future free trade agreements. The Withdrawal Act transfers onto the UK statute book all EU food safety and animal welfare standards including the ban on production and importation of chlorinated chicken. Our current high standards, including import requirements, will apply when we leave the EU.

Polar Bears

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the import of polar bear trophies into the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government takes the conservation of species seriously. Polar bears are one of the six species that are protected by stricter import controls at EU level. An import permit will only be issued if no detrimental impact on the survival of the species is demonstrated and the item has been obtained from a legal and sustainable hunting operation. Internationally, we are working hard to make sure hunting does not jeopardise the survival of the species. We are looking carefully at the issue and have previously commissioned research by Professor McDonald on trophy hunting in relation to lion conservation. Lessons from that research can be applied to other species, including polar bears. We also plan to hold a roundtable discussion with organisations from all sides of the debate in order to gain a better understanding of the issues as well as consider further scientific advice.

BSE: Disease Control

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has for changes to sheep ageing methods to control transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are currently considering whether there are options for implementing a change to the method for ageing sheep in relation to control of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. However, under EU rules, legal advice is that alternative methods to the accepted method of ageing by dentition may not be available to the UK as a third country if we leave the EU without a deal and wish to continue to export sheep meat to the EU. We are aware of the concerns from the sheep sector about this and will keep the sector updated on our plans, taking account of developments with regard to our departure from the EU.

African Swine Fever

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the economic effect of an outbreak of African swine flu in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has estimated that the economic effect of a reasonable worst case scenario outbreak of African swine fever could cost the UK up to £90m at 2018 prices. This total estimate includes costs to industry from lost and culled livestock, costs to Government from control activities and lost value of trade. While this estimate represents an informed assessment of the potential impact of an outbreak, exact costs would be determined by a large number of factors including geographic location, the husbandry system, epidemiology of the outbreak and whether wildlife were involved.

Marine Protected Areas

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's 24 September 2018 press release, and to the establishment of the marine protected area around Ascension Island, what further steps he is taking to ensure that 30 per cent of the world's oceans are protected by 2030.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: At the United Nations General Assembly last September, the UK Government called for 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected within Marine Protected Areas by 2030. We are working both domestically and internationally to achieve this goal. At home, we already have 314 marine protected sites, covering 24% of UK waters. In addition, we have consulted on a further 41 Marine Conservation Zones. Sites to be designated will be in place by 7 June. Around the UK Overseas Territories, including Ascension Island, we are on track to deliver over 4 million km2 of protected ocean by 2020. Overall more than 50% of all UK waters are set to be in Marine Protected Areas. In the 2019 Spring Statement, the UK Government announced that it is backing an Ascension Island bid to protect 100% of its offshore waters. Ascension Island plans to designate over 445,00km2 of its waters as a fully protected no-take Marine Protected Area. Internationally, the UK is working together with key stakeholders and other countries to secure agreement to a new global 30by30 target to be included as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 agenda for agreement at the Convention of Parties in China in 2020. Agreement of the new Implementing Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction is crucial for this target to be achieved. The UK is pushing hard for the new agreement to be completed in 2020.

Fuels: Subsidies

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the European Commission report entitled Energy prices and costs in Europe 2018, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) the Government's 25 Year Environment Plan of that report's conclusion that the UK offers the biggest fuel subsidies in the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Energy and climate mitigation policy is covered by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. On the natural environment, Defra will report annually on progress towards meeting the goals set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan to leave the environment in a better state for the next generation. As part of this, these annual reports will consider how external factors could influence progress and what further action is required to meet these goals.

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to develop a systemic approach to safe management of agricultural animal waste.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This is a devolved matter and the below information relates to England only. There is already in place a systematic approach for the safe management of agricultural animal waste. Slurry and manure produced by farm animals and the associated controls are managed through zone designations and compliance regulations. The specific approach depends upon whether a farm falls within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), which cover 55% of England, or outside an NVZ, in which case pollution control regulation applies. Under NVZ rules operators are required to store their manures and slurries for up to 5 or 6 months depending on farm type, keep records and only spread manures and slurries at certain times of the year, whilst keeping the application rates within nutrient limits. Under current pollution control regulation, stores must be constructed to a required standard, meet necessary construction requirements and have a minimum capacity of 4 months’ storage. Spreading is regulated under the farming rules for water (FrFW) which set out how best to use manure and slurry to avoid pollution.

Microplastics

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the findings of the May 2018 report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy, what steps his Department is taking to tackle micro-plastic contamination on land; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Our priority is preventing plastic from entering the environment in the first place, be that the marine or terrestrial environment. The Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December last year, sets out our plans to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. This encompasses all types of plastic, including microplastics, and we are already taking action. Last year we introduced one of the world’s strongest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products. Microbeads, like other microplastics, do not biodegrade and therefore accumulate in the environment. To address the evidence gaps surrounding other sources of microplastics, we are funding research by the University of Plymouth into textiles and tyres which are estimated to be significant sources of microplastics in the environment. As set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, Defra recognises the problems associated with plastic contamination in soil. We are working with the Waste and Resources Action Programme to explore how Government policy can address this issue, including by bringing industry and trade associations together through the Food Waste Recycling Action Plan to minimise plastic pollution in compost and digestate. The UK welcomes international collaboration on preventing and reducing plastic waste. The actions listed in the EU’s plastics strategy and its proposed Directive on reducing the impact of certain plastic products on the environment are broadly consistent with Government policy in this area. The UK supports this initiative and welcomes the EU in following our lead and recognising the importance of addressing plastic pollution. We will match or where economically practicable exceed the Directive’s ambition.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people working on the Defra Unity Programme are (a) contingent labour, (b) supplier resource and (c) civil servants.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As of 27 March 2019 the Defra Unity Programme employed: (a) Contingent Labour = 49.40 FTE(b) Supplier Resource 6.90 FTE(c) Civil Servants = 3.90 FTE

Pesticides: Regulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2019 to Question 231976, what the capacity assessment of the Expert Committee on Pesticides concluded with respect to whether the (a) annual budget and (b) staff capacity of the Committee and its secretariat would need to be increased in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The annual budget of the Expert Committee on Pesticides would be increased in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Increases to the existing membership of the Committee and its secretariat would depend on the number of applications received in the UK for approval of active substances used in plant protection products and the issues they presented.

Textiles: Recycling

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of Government support for the textile recycling industry.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy identifies clothing and textiles as a high impact material stream. We will be taking on board learning and progress through the industry-led voluntary Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), co-ordinated by WRAP, and wider research, in order to decide the action needed in terms of textile recycling on the part of Government. We will explore the most appropriate policy measures including the introduction of an extended producer responsibility scheme which we will consider and consult on.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many new or adapted IT or database systems his Department plans to implement to prepare for the UK leaving the EU; what the cost is of each such system; when each such system will be implemented; who has been commissioned to undertake that work; what contingency plans his Department has put in place in the event that those IT systems are not implemented on schedule; and which EU IT systems the UK will no longer use after the UK leaves the EU.

David Rutley: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Plastics: Marine Environment

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to lead efforts to tackle the global problem of marine plastic pollution; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Reducing plastic pollution in our ocean requires global action. This is why we are leading efforts to tackle the global problem through our support of the G7 Oceans Plastics Charter, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy and the Commonwealth Blue Charter. In April 2018 we launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance (CCOA), which we co-lead with Vanuatu. The CCOA encourages its 25 member countries to take steps to eliminate avoidable single-use plastics, significantly reduce single use plastic carrier bags by 2021 and implement a ban of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products by 2021. We are also championing action to protect the ocean from plastic pollution through a support package worth over £55 million. This is being used to boost global research and tackle plastic pollution in developing countries in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 (Life below water) and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production). We want to lead by example which is why we published the Resources and Waste Strategy for England in December last year that sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution and move towards a more circular economy. On 18 February we launched a suite of consultations to overhaul the waste system. These actions build on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of countryside stewardship payments that are more than one year late broken down by region.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information at a regional level is not held centrally. All eligible annual revenue claims for 2015 to 2017 have received a payment, with the exception of those held for legal reasons such as probate. Payments for 2018 are underway. There is no regulatory deadline for Countryside Stewardship 2018 revenue payments; we advise most claimants to expect a payment within 12 months. 95% of claims will receive an advance payment by April 2019. There are no 2018 payments more than one year outstanding.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many initial application packs for Countryside Stewardship have been sent to (a) farmers and (b) landowners in each month in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Application packs are not issued all-year round. The Countryside Stewardship application window normally runs between February and May for High Tier and between February and July for Mid-Tier. Information on what month the pack was issued, and whether the requestor is a farmer or a landowner, is not held centrally. The following number of application packs have been issued annually:- 2019: 4,006 (to date)2018: 12,3462017: 10,5952016: 8,9232015: 5,898

Chemicals: Regulation

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many chemicals have been uploaded to the UK REACH IT database as of 27 March 2019.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The ‘Comply with UK REACH’ IT system forms part of our planning for the scenario in which the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This IT system will only go live in a no deal scenario. No registration dossiers or technical information can therefore be submitted at this time.

Home Office

Passports: Fees and Charges

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he plans to take to compensate people who paid for a one-week fast-tracking service for a new passport in order to travel on 24 March in the event that the date that the UK leaves the EU is moved back from 29 March 2019.

Caroline Nokes: It is Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s policy to reimburse any out of pocket expenses incurred by a customer as a direct consequence of an error or omission it has made.As part of our responsibility for preparing citizens for all scenarios, we have made clear in our advice that the changes to the rules for travel to Europe are in the event that the UK leaves the European Union without a deal. There is no error within this advice.

Immigrants: Detainees

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of homeless foreign nationals detained by Immigration Compliance and Enforcement teams in each of the previous years for which figures are available.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not hold the information requested in a reportable format. As such the information requested could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.

Migrant Workers: Social Workers

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure the recruitment of from care workers from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries to meet NHS demand for those skills after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “the UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. This route will not be capped allowing all of those who meet our requirements to come to the UK.The White Paper also includes a transitional route for temporary workers which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill positions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.

National Business Crime Centre: Finance

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department will continue to provide funding to the National Business Crime Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Ministers are yet to take a decision regarding the award of allocations from the PTF for 2019/2020.

Crime: Retail Trade

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) retail crime and (b) violence against shopworkers; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Associ-ation of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Crime: Retail Trade

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Association of Convenience Stores Crime Report 2019 findings that (a) the total cost of crime for the convenience sector was £246 million, (b) there were 9,782 incidents of violence against people working in local shops and (c) that convenience retailers had invested £4,080 per store in crime prevention equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership ap-proach according to local circumstances.Government encourages businesses to continue their efforts to protect themselves from crime, and I commend the investment that the convenient sector has made.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Shoplifting: Ealing Southall

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Ealing, Southall following shop thefts; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing tougher sentences for people attacking shopworkers; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Associ-ation of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership ap-proach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Visas: Nurses

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the salary exemption for nurses under Tier 2 visa rules will apply to EEA citizens after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: We have been clear that we want all EU nationals, including those working in the NHS and the care sector, to stay in the UK after we leave the EU.In their report, EEA migration in the UK, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended maintaining the existing system of salary thresholds.The Government has been clear that we will undertake an extensive programme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local government, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking a final decision on the level of salary thresholds.

Crime: Retail Trade

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) retail crime and (b) violence against shopworkers; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to im-prove the management and response to shop theft using a partnership ap-proach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Migrant Workers: Social Workers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that care assistants will continue to be able to come and work in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “the UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. This route will not be capped allowing all of those who meet our requirements to come to the UK.The White Paper also includes a transitional route for temporary workers which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill positions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.

Detainees: Emergency Travel Documents

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the time taken was for each emergency travel document application to be secured for a person in immigration detention in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The Home Office continues to work closely with diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom and representatives of receiving countries for the timely issuing of travel documentation to support the return of their nationals. Travel document applications are dependent on the receiving country and take a range of time to complete for reasons outside of our control

Crime: Retail Trade

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to support convenience store retailers that have experienced shop theft, verbal abuse and violence.

Victoria Atkins: All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.

Visas: Nurses

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the salary exemption announced for nurses under Tier 2 visas will be (a) maintained after the UK leaves the EU and (b) extended to EEA citizens; and what further steps the Government is taking to ensure effective recruitment from EU and non-EU countries to meet demand for NHS and social care staff after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: We have been clear that we want all EU nationals, including those working in the NHS and the care sector, to stay in the UK after we leave the EU.In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “the UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. In line with the independent Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations the White Paper proposes a new route for skilled workers, which will be open to occupations at RQF level 3 and above. The MAC also recommended maintaining the existing system of salary thresholds.The Government has been clear that we will undertake an extensive pro-gramme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local govern-ment, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking a final decision on the level of salary thresholds.The White Paper also includes a transitional route for temporary workers which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill positions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.

Deportation: Airlines

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the commercial airlines with which his Department currently has contracts for the purposes of carrying out enforced returns.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times his Department has used each commercial airline it currently holds contracts with for the purposes of enforced returns in the last two years.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the financial value of each contract his Department holds with commercial airlines for the purposes of enforced returns.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not disclose the details or value of its commercial contracts. Doing so could discourage companies from dealing with the Home Office.

Deportation: Airlines

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has ever given direction, pursuant to Schedule 3 of the Immigration Act 1971, to an airline to carry out enforced returns.

Caroline Nokes: Schedule 3 of the Immigration Act 1971 provides a legal requirement to serve Removal Directions on airlines for the return of any individual against whom a deportation order is in force.Schedule 2 provides the ability to prosecute captains, owners and agents of airlines should they refuse to carry an individual.When working with airlines, wherever possible, we make efforts to ensure they are familiar with their statutory obligations so as to avoid having to in-voke the provisions of Schedule 2.

Stop and Search: Ethnic Groups

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of Stop and Search on the relationship between police officers and young BAME people.

Mr Nick Hurd: The impact of stop and search on relations between officers and those searched, including those from BAME communities, is a priority for this Government. Reforms introduced by the Government and delivered by the police have led to significant improvements in this regard. Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which governs conduct around searches, clearly states that officers must show “courtesy, consideration and respect” when carrying out searches, and that grounds for suspicion must be explained. Introduced in 2014, the Government’s “Best Use of Stop and Search” scheme also requires forces to adopt public observation schemes and complaints policies, so that individuals can observe stop and search in action and issues in the conduct of searches can be raised.These reforms have worked. The arrest rate for searches is now the highest on record, and reports from HMICFRS show significant improvements in the conduct of searches in the last 5 years. We do, however, remain aware of concerns related to the impact of searches on communities, and will continue to work with the police to embed improvements, including around professionalism and community trust.

Immigration

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has for the UK's future immigration system.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals for a future immigration system in its White Paper “The UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System.” The new system will be focused on those with the skills this country needs, who will bring the most benefit to the United Kingdom. The system will support the UK economy, and our public services, while enabling us to control migration.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of issuing settled status documentation as proof of status to successful applicants of the EU settlement scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office will not issue a physical document to EU citizens granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Those granted status under the scheme will be given a digital status, as part of moving the UK immigration system to digital by default. The future border and immigration system will make use of the latest digital technology to improve customer experience, increase security and detect abuse.EU citizens granted status under the scheme can access information about their immigration status and entitlements via a secure online service. Individuals will control who they wish to share this with to demonstrate their status and to exercise their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. With online services, we can ensure that checkers see only the information that is relevant and proportionate to their need. Using a physical document as evidence of status, as has been the practice to date, does none of this.It can also cause significant problems when documents are lost, stolen, damaged, expired or in the process of being renewed. Physical documents are also far more open to forgery and fraud, something we must seek avoid. Additionally, there are individuals whose documents are controlled by others – for examples, in cases of domestic violence, modern slavery and human trafficking. Moving to an online status is a step forward in tackling those who seek to control others. A digital status is also much easier to use for visually impaired and dyslexic users who may have difficulty reading a physical document.

Firearms: Licensing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated net cost to the public purse is of gun (a) licensing and (b) certification in England in 2018-19.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134808 on Firearms: Licensing, what steps he has taken since that Answer to ensure that the costs of gun licensing and certification are covered by the fees charged.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to ensuring an efficient and effective firearms licensing system and to achieving full cost recovery for the police and Home Office. Fees for firearm and shotgun certificates issued by the police were last increased in 2015. The increase followed a public consultation which included an impact assessment setting out estimated costs, which can be found on gov.uk. The fee levels were calculated with a view to enabling police forces to move closer to full cost recovery when a police-led online licensing system is introduced. The police began trialling an on-line application portal in selected forces late last year. Delays with introducing online licensing make it difficult to accurately identify costs at this time but we will carry out a comprehensive review of the fees in 2020.Applications for licences to possess prohibited firearms, for approved shooting clubs, and museums with firearms collections, are administered by the Home Office and Scottish Government. The Policing and Crime Act 2017 created a power to charge new fees for these licences. We sought views on proposals for the new fees in a public consultation in 2017. The consultation was accompanied by an impact assessment, which set out the estimated net costs of the system. We have reviewed the proposed level of fees in discussion with groups representing licensed firearms holders and we intend to announce the outcome shortly.

Visas

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visit visa applications on the basis of the visitor donating an organ to a family member were successful in each year for the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Due to the range of activities visitors can undertake whilst in the UK, the Home Office does not publish statistics of the sub-sets of visitors. An individual may act as an organ donor or be assessed as a potential organ donor to an identified recipient in the UK under the Standard Visitor route. The Home Office continues to engage with stakeholders to better understand and support the needs of donors and recipients interacting with the UK’s immigration system.

Visas: Nurses

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the salary exemption for nurses working in the UK under Tier 2 visas will continue after the UK has left the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: In their report, EEA migration in the UK, the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommended maintaining the existing system of salary thresholds.The Government has been clear that we will undertake an extensive programme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local government, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking a final decision on the level of salary thresholds.

Architecture: Migrant Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to meet with representatives of the architecture profession to discuss architects' concerns on the Immigration White Paper.

Caroline Nokes: he Government published the White Paper ;The UK’s future skills-based immigration system (Cm 9722) on 19 December 2018. The White Paper is the start of a new conversation and we have launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of stakeholders across the UK to hear their priorities, concerns and ideas before policies and processes are finalised and the new system comes into force from January 2021. We are determined to ensure that the future system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs.We have already delivered around 30 events reaching well over 500 stakeholders, for example, business and employer representatives, including the Confederation of Business Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as those from the health and social care sector, the hospitality industry and the construction and automotive industries. We are holding discussions with sectors and also across the UK, and have already held events in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with events in Wales being scheduled for April This is in addition to our continued engagement and negotiations with the EU and international partners.As part of this engagement, we have established a range of advisory groups to enable detailed discussions with private, public and voluntary sector employers and industry representatives. Membership details of these groups will be published on gov.uk shortly.

Police: Firearms

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total number of incidents have been where firearms officers were deployed by Police Forces in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office publication https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-use-of-firearms-statistics-england-and-wales-april-2017-to-march-2018presents statistics on the number of operations in which armed officers were deployed by the 43 Home Office police forces for the financial years ending March 2009 to March 2018. The data can be found in table 1 of the publication tables.

Immigration

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to review the immigration exemption at schedule 2, paragraph 4 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The operation of the immigration exemption will be reviewed after it has been in force for twelve months. The review will commence after 25 May 2019..

Demonstrations: Greater London

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2019 to Question 205783, what discussions his Department has had with the Metropolitan Police Service the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of police estimates being made of crowd numbers at large demonstrations; and what explanation has been given for discontinuing that practice.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office routinely discusses matters relating to demonstrations with the Metropolitan Police Service.The management of demonstrations and whether to collect information on the number of individuals that attend demonstrations is an operational matter for the police.

Immigration: Families

Wera Hobhouse: What assessment his Department has made of the effect on low-paid workers of the minimum income requirements for non-EEA residents to bring family members to the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The level of the minimum income threshold was set after considering advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. The Supreme Court has endorsed the lawfulness of this approach and agrees that the minimum income requirement strikes a fair balance between the interests of UK citizens wishing to sponsor a non-EEA spouse and of the community in general.

Slavery

Alex Burghart: What steps he is taking to tackle modern slavery.

Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to ending modern slavery in the UK and abroad.We’re transforming the law enforcement response, seeing more police operations than ever before; overhauling support for victims; and working with businesses to eradicate forced labour from our supply chains.To ensure our response remains world-leading, we have commissioned an independent review of our Modern Slavery Act.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Greg Hands: What recent steps he has taken to assist victims of motor vehicle theft.

Mr Nick Hurd: We recognise the distressing and disruptive impact vehicle theft can have on victims, and we are determined to ensure we do all we can to prevent these crimes.In January, I chaired the first meeting of a new Vehicle Theft Taskforce which brings together industry, the police, and others to help ensure the response is as robust as it can be.

Domestic Abuse

Kevin Foster: What steps he is taking to tackle domestic abuse.

Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to transforming the response to domestic abuse.On 21 January 2019, we published a landmark draft Domestic Abuse Bill alongside a wide-ranging package of measures to protect and support victims.We have also recently refreshed our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and published a position paper on Male Victims, demonstrating our commitment to tackle all forms of abuse.

Cybercrime

Paul Masterton: What steps he is taking to ensure that tech companies tackle serious crimes perpetrated on their platforms.

Mr Ben Wallace: Tackling serious crime online is one of our highest priorities. We are increasing our investment in law enforcement and will set out plans to legislate in the Online Harms White Paper.The Online Harms White Paper will set clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep UK citizens safe online and counter online harms including serious online crime.

Wales Office

Economic Situation: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what forecasts the Government has made of the potential effect on the Welsh economy of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Alun Cairns: Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. However, the Government is continuing with our no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality. It is the responsible thing to do.The UK Government’s analysis shows that under the White paper proposals GVA for Wales will be 8.1 percentage points higher than in the no deal scenario.

Stronger Towns Fund: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the Barnett consequentials for Wales of the Stronger Towns Fund.

Alun Cairns: The UK Government will seek to ensure that towns in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can benefit from the Stronger Towns Fund and we will announce further details in due course.

Church Commissioners

Dams: Safety

Alex Burghart: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England has had with the mining sector on improving the safety of tailings dams after the collapse of Vale dam in Brazil.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners have been closely engaged in holding the mining company responsible for the collapse of the Vale dam in Brumadinho, Brazil to account. The Commissioners hosted a roundtable meeting with other investors and senior management from a number of the largest mining companies, at which it became clear that there was a major industry-wide issue with the safety and monitoring of these dams.Following demands from the investor’s group, on the 19th March, the Chief Executive of BHP agreed to the need for “a common, international and independent body to oversee the integrity, construction and the operation of all dams and supported the call for increased transparency in tailings dams disclosure.” The Commissioners welcome the lead taken by BHP, and the investor’s group will continue to hold the mining sector to account.

Church of England: Forests

Deidre Brock: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to her oral contribution of 28 March 2019, Official Report on the Archbishop's Council's Strategic Development Fund, if she will publish the forestry holdings of the Church of England.

Dame Caroline Spelman: As of December 2018 the forestry holdings of the Church Commissioners amounted to 103,138 acres across the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia. The Church Commissioners most recent Annual Report sets out in more detail its timberland investments: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/Church%20Commissioners%20Annual%20Report%202017.pdf

Forests: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to her oral contribution of 28 March 2019, Official Report on the Archbishop's Council's Strategic Development Fund, whether it follows Scottish Natural Heritage's Biodiversity Duty Guidance and Advice in its forestry estates in Scotland.

Dame Caroline Spelman: All forests managed by the Church Commissioners conform to the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS) and the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS), and have Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification. The FSC is recognised by WWF as the “hallmark of responsible forest management”. The Church Commissioners are not required to report under the Scottish Natural Heritage's ‘Biodiversity Duty Guidance and Advice in its forestry estates in Scotland’, as this applies only to public bodies.

Forests: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the oral contribution of the Rt. hon. Member for Meriden, what steps the church takes to ensure that its forestry plantations in Scotland avoid monoculture plantings.

Dame Caroline Spelman: In order to comply with the Forestry Stewardship Council, UK Woodland Assurance Scheme and UK Forestry Standards, forests must contain a maximum of 75% primary species. Latest figures for forests in Scotland managed by the Church Commissioners show that they contain around 65% Sitka spruce, though that percentage was higher when the forests were first planted in the 1960s and 1970s. The remainder comprises native broadleaves and other conifer species such as Scots pine, Norway spruce, Douglas fir and open ground. Open ground makes up approximatley 19% of the area under management and mostly comprises native grasses, water (ponds, streams and rivers), heather and rock outcrops. The Church Commissioners will achieve at least 5% native broadleaves by the end of the first rotation.

Department for Exiting the European Union

EU Budget: Contributions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the UK is legally obliged to pay a financial settlement in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Kwasi Kwarteng: As Minister Robin Walker set out in his answer to Question 231383 on 21 March - as part of the Withdrawal Agreement, we have reached a fair financial settlement with the EU, honouring commitments we made during our period of membership, and ensuring a fair deal for UK taxpayers. In the event that we leave the EU without a deal, the financial settlement as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement would no longer apply.The Government recognises that the UK has obligations to the EU, and the EU obligations to the UK, that will survive the UK’s withdrawal—and that these need to be resolved. But in a no deal scenario we would need to determine how to do so.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Termination of Employment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how officials in his Department have (a) retired, (b) transferred it to a different Department and (c) left the civil service in each year since the Department’s creation.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Exiting the European Union was set up as a time limited department and as such the majority of staff are employed on fixed term contracts or are loaned from other Government Departments. Attrition has remained stable at about 3% monthly average for most of the department’s life. These figures are not considered out of line for a department that has a staff profile as above.Many of those who have left to date have been planned leavers who have moved to other government departments due to their loan or job rotation coming to an end, or have left the civil service following the end of their fixed-term appointment.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Sick Leave

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials in his Department were on long term paid sick leave as of 1 March 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Health and Wellbeing forms part of the Department for Exiting the European Union’s commitment to making the Department a great place to work. The DExEU Absence Management Policy defines long term sickness as: ‘A continuous period of sickness absence ...reaches 14 consecutive calendar days.’Due to the small numbers of staff affected, the Department is unable to release this information as disclosure would contravene one of the data protection principles. All staff who are absent are offered various support mechanisms through our Employee Assistance Programme and their line management.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department's spending on advertising related to the exit date of the UK leaving the EU being 29 March 2019.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Since its inception, DExEU has not incurred any costs for advertising that relates to the exit date of the UK leaving the EU.Cabinet Office are responsible for the cross government Public Information Campaign.

Treasury

Treasury: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many mandatory cyber security training sessions civil servants working in his Department are required to undertake.

Robert Jenrick: All HM Treasury staff are mandated to undertake a “Responsible for Information” online training course relating to information security, which includes content on cyber security. In addition, an element of cyber security awareness is included in staff induction training and guidance on security culture, including cyber security and managing digital footprints, is available to staff through the department’s intranet.

Productivity: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve productivity in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Robert Jenrick: People across Yorkshire and the Humber are benefiting from investment that this Government is making to support productivity. There are now 225,000 more people in employment in Yorkshire and the Humber than in 2010 and close to 69,000 more businesses. For example, at Spring Statement we announced the first allocation of the competitive element of the Transforming Cities Fund. This included over £6.4 million in funding for the Sheffield City Region and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. In addition, the Government has allocated more than £1.3bn from the Local Growth Fund to support economic activity across Yorkshire and the Humber. We are also continuing to back the Northern Powerhouse. At Budget 2018, we committed to a refresh of our ambitious Northern Powerhouse strategy for this year and we also announced up to £37m development funding to support Northern Powerhouse rail, which will connect cities across the North with faster, more frequent services, boosting regional productivity.

Buckingham Palace: Honours

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 192869 on Buckingham Palace: Honours, which organisations hold the contracts with the Royal Household to create and sell the items referred to in that Question.

Robert Jenrick: I refer the honourable member to the answer that I gave on 3 December 2018 to PQ UIN 196743“The contracted organisations are British Ceremonial Arts and the Press Association. HM Treasury does not hold the details of when the last tendering process took place.”

Import Duties

Dr David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the HMRC's National Advice Line is now questions on whether there will be an import duty or tariff in relation to trade with the EU to their constituency Member of Parliament for answer.

Mel Stride: Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the governments priority. However, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, many UK businesses will need to apply the same processes to EU trade that apply when trading with the rest of the world. Guidance on customs procedures have been published on Gov.uk to include the temporary tariff structure which will be in place for 12 months after the UK leaves the EU. All HMRC staff follow standard guidance when dealing with customer queries on import duty and tariffs. It is not standard practice to refer such questions to Members of Parliament to answer. All HMRC staff receive regular coaching on their work and there is a structured quality review process in place to identify any areas of improvement.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress has been made on abolishing VAT on sanitary products.

Mel Stride: The Government remains committed to applying a zero rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) to women’s sanitary products in the UK at the earliest opportunity. In January 2018, the European Commission brought forward a legislative proposal to enhance Member States’ flexibility to apply reduced and zero rates of VAT. This proposal remains under discussion in the EU and, if it is agreed by Member States, would give the UK the legal ability to zero rate women’s sanitary products. The Romanian Presidency has stated its intention to progress negotiations on this proposal during its current term.

Access to Cash Review

Ged Killen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the final report of the Access to cash review published on 6 March 2019; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government has been engaging and will continue to engage with the regulators and industry on this topic. The Treasury initiated a discussion on payment methods at Spring Statement 2018 through a Call for Evidence on Cash & Digital Payments in the New Economy. This sought to gather evidence on how changing preferences for cash and digital payments impact on different sectors, regions and demographics. The Government welcomes the recent Access to Cash Review, which is an important contribution to the debate on cash and which will help inform our future policy development. The Government will formally respond to the Call for Evidence in due course.

Working Tax Credit

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent on (a) tax-free childcare, (b) employer-supported childcare and (c) the childcare element of working tax credit in 2017-18.

Elizabeth Truss: Page 100 of the OBR’s March 2019 Economic & Fiscal Outlook contains the Tax-Free Childcare forecast, including the cost for 2017/18 (https://cdn.obr.uk/March-2019_EFO_Web-Accessible.pdf). HMRC’s publication ‘Estimated Costs of Principal Tax Reliefs’ includes the forecast cost of Employer Supported Childcare tax reliefs in 2017/18 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/782480/Jan19_Principal_Reliefs_Final.pdf). The forecast cost of the childcare element of Working Tax Credit in 2017/18 is £1.1bn. This is in line with OBR methodology which assumes Universal Credit has no impact on the Working Tax Credit forecast.

Revenue and Customs: Location

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sites HMRC have vacated since 15 November 2015.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Department has made of the number of sites that it has vacated since 15 November 2015 for which HMRC has paid rent to (a) any freeholder and (b)  Mapeley after it had vacated those sites.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC is paying rent on sites that have (a) been vacated by its staff and (b) where there is no active HMRC work being carried out.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sites vacated by HMRC since 15 November 2015 were sites managed under the STEPS contract.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sites that HMRC has vacated since 15 November 2015 were sites (a) not under the STEPS contract and (b) where the freeholder was not Mapeley.

Mel Stride: Since November 2015, when HMRC announced its ten-year location strategy which will see it become a tax authority fit for the future, it has closed 76 of the 170 offices which it occupied at that time. Of the 76 offices, 72 were managed under the STEPS Private Finance Initiative contract. Of the 72 offices under the STEPS contract, 58 were not Mapeley freehold properties. There were four offices which were not under the STEPS contract. When HMRC vacates an office in accordance with its operational requirements, it would seek to dispose of the building following any remedial work which needed to be completed. It may choose to retain the building if other government departments are based at the location and are funding the remaining lease. HMRC is not paying rent on any of the 76 offices which have been vacated since November 2015 and none of them have been left unoccupied. HMRC also manages properties on behalf of other government departments where there is no HMRC presence and those departments pay HMRC for the use of the building. HMRC continues to support staff through its transformation. For those who can move it is providing payments towards increases in travel costs paid for up to five years, and for those who cannot move with HMRC it continues to seek opportunities in other government departments, in addition to any support with upskilling where relevant. HMRC wants to keep as many employees as possible and through one-to-one conversations with managers it will explore smarter ways of working and flexibility with working hours where this is possible. Moving to regional centres will save around £300 million up to 2025 with annual cash savings of around £90 million from 2028, while improving customer service and modernising how HMRC works.

Mortgages

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Mortgage customers: proposed changes to responsible lending rules and guidance CP19/14 published by the Financial Conduct Authority on 26 March 2019, what estimate his Department has made of the number of mortgage customers currently unable to switch their mortgage product who will not be able to benefit from modified affordability assessment proposals.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the development of the cost benefit analysis used to assess the potential impact of the its proposals in Mortgage customers: proposed changes to responsible lending rules and guidance CP19/14 published on 26 March 2019.

John Glen: HM Treasury welcome the FCA’s announcement that it intends to change its mortgage lending rules to move to a relative affordability assessment for customers seeking to switch to a cheaper mortgage without borrowing more. We have worked closely with the FCA in the lead up to the publication of their Consultation Paper. The Economic Secretary and Andrew Bailey, the FCA’s Chief Executive, wrote to the Treasury Select Committee in response to questioning on who might be helped by the FCA’s proposed changes. Copies of these letters can be found here:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/treasury/Correspondence/2017-19/EST-to-Chair-re-mortgage-prisoners-300119.pdf https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/treasury/Correspondence/2017-19/Chief-Exec-of-FCA-to-Chair-re-mortgage-prisoners-150219.pdf

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to correspondence from the Economic Secretary to the Treasury to the Chair of the Treasury Committee on 30 January 2019 on how the Standard Variable Rate will be set; what the identity is of the regulatory active lenders in the mechanism referred to on page 3; what the current level of Standard Variable Rate being charged by those lenders is; and what formula was used by UK Asset Resolution to link its Standard Variable Rate to the rate charged by those lenders.

John Glen: NRAM Limited (NRAM) and Bradford & Bingley plc (B&B) set their Standard Variable Rates (SVR) by reference to the SVRs of the top fifteen UK mortgage providers. Currently these fifteen lenders collectively hold c.90% of the outstanding mortgage balances of members of UK Finance, the industry's trade body. This ensures that NRAM’s and B&B’s SVRs are in line with other variable rates available in the market. The ranking of lenders by value of mortgages outstanding is available from UK Finance’s website at www.ukfinance.org.uk, and the SVRs currently offered by lenders are also publicly available on their respective websites.

Customs Officers: France

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the strikes of customs officers at the French border.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury has not made any such estimates.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer on 19 March 2019 given to Question 232589 on tax avoidance, how many promoters of tax avoidance schemes HMRC has challenged.

Mel Stride: In recent years, HMRC has been investigating over 100 promoters and others involved in the promotion and marketing of tax avoidance schemes. In the last 18 months HMRC has pursued 10 businesses promoting/ marketing avoidance schemes to litigation for failure to disclose under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) regime with others deciding to disclose to avoid litigation. Of the 10 cases, 6 have been heard before a tribunal and in each of the 3 decisions received so far, all have confirmed HMRC’s view that the schemes were disclosable, with decisions awaited in a further three cases. Further cases will be litigated in the year ahead. HMRC uses a range of approaches to challenge promoters and others involved in the design, marketing and supply of avoidance schemes with many leaving the market altogether and with the activity of others being significantly reduced. The approaches can include the use of POTAS and other legislative means but are not limited to these powers.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many penalties were imposed under the General Anti-Abuse Rule regarding (a) income tax and (b) corporation tax in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017 and (iii) 2018.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of cases referred to the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel by HMRC resulted in positive determinations in 2018.

Mel Stride: The General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) penalty applies to tax arrangements entered into on or after 15 September 2016. Before a GAAR penalty can be charged, HMRC must first enquire into tax returns once they are received and gather all relevant facts.  Whilst no penalties have been charged to date, HMRC is actively using the GAAR to tackle tax avoidance. To date, all cases referred to the GAAR Advisory Panel have resulted in a Panel opinion in HMRC’s favour. GAAR Panel opinions are published online at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-avoidance-general-anti-abuse-rule-gaar

Taxation: Self-employed

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-employed people using the payment on account system were wrongly not billed by HMRC in January 2019; and what proportion that is of all people who filed tax returns in 2017-18; and what proportion that is of all people who filed the returns in 2017-18.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to ensure that payment on account payments are not rejected by HMRC.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to notify self-employed people who were unable to make a payment on account payment in January 2019 that they will be liable for the full amount in January 2020.

Mel Stride: HMRC customers are able to make payments in advance which are held as a credit on the customer record. Where a customer or agent has contacted HMRC, HMRC has created payments on account. Customers who have contacted HMRC and said they did not want HMRC to create the payments on account have been told that the full amount will be due on 31 January 2020. HMRC does not hold the information requested on the numbers of people “wrongly not billed”. Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Offices

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cumulative cost is to date of continued payment in rent for HM Revenue and Customs office sites that have been vacated.

Mel Stride: When HMRC vacates an office in accordance with its operational requirements, it would seek to dispose of the building following any remedial work which needed to be completed. It may choose to retain the building if other government departments are based at the location and are funding the remaining lease, or if it is more cost effective to leave a location and relocate staff which to date has not happened so the cost is nil.

Revenue and Customs: Location

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of HMRC staff at the HMRC offices in (a) Sheffield, (b) Wrexham, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Ealing and (e) Wolverhampton under the building our future plans HMRC plans to relocate to a new office.

Mel Stride: In 2015, HMRC planning indicated that up to 90% of its workforce across the UK, at that time, would either work in a regional centre or see out their career in an HMRC office. By the time all its regional centres have opened, HMRC still expects the overall figure to be near to its original forecast of 90%. However, HMRC would expect the equivalent figure for locations in this question to be lower. HMRC will not know the actual position until one-to-one discussions have taken place with staff which will establish whether an individual can or cannot move. HMRC recognises that in the case of Aberdeen in particular, the daily travel requirements will be such that very few employees, if any, are likely to travel to the regional centre in Edinburgh. For those who can move there will be financial support towards any additional travelling costs for up to five years after the move. HMRC will support those who cannot move on an individual basis to work through all possible options, including identifying opportunities in other government departments.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports Business Council

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the outcomes were from the meetings of the Sports Business Council held between June 2017 and April 2018; and when the council next plans to meet.

Mims Davies: The Sport Business Council (SBC) has explored a number of priority areas for the sector, such as intellectual property, event staging, sector skills, and local partnerships, and has established the importance of engaging with the sports economy I intend to consider the work to date of the SBC, and continue engagement with the business of sport in the months ahead.

Healthy Living Ministerial Group and Sports Business Council

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to maintain the Inter-Ministerial Group for Healthy Living and the Sports Business Council.

Mims Davies: I continue to meet regularly with my ministerial colleagues as well as officials and representatives in Northern Ireland to discuss our joint working on healthy living including sport and physical activity. I intend to consider the work to date of the Sports Business Council, and continue engagement with sport as an economic sector in the months ahead.

Broadband: Mansfield

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of access to superfast fibre broadband for (a) businesses and (b) members of the public in Mansfield; and what steps he is taking to improve such access.

Margot James: The department does not distinguish between businesses and homes. According to Thinkbroadband, 99.7% of premises in Mansfield currently have access to superfast broadband. The government has invested heavily in Nottinghamshire, with over £7.8 million of central government funding allocated. Superfast rollout delivery is managed by Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/business-community/better-broadband-for-nottinghamshire-programme), our local delivery partner. On top of superfast rollout, the department operates two vouchers schemes, the Gigabit Voucher Scheme and the Better Broadband Scheme, across the UK.

Sports: Schools

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what date the Government plans to publish its school sport and activity action plan.

Mims Davies: Government has announced that the school sport and activity action plan is expected to be published in spring 2019. The plan will consider ways to ensure that all children have access to quality, protected PE and sport sessions during the school week and opportunities to be physically active throughout the school day.

Tate Galleries: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he  has had with (a) management and (b) staff at Tate Galleries in (a) Liverpool, (b) London and (c) St Ives on the 2018 pay award and ballots of PCS and Prospect members for strike action.

Michael Ellis: Tate Group is an arm’s length body of the department, and as such has operational independence from government, including on matters of pay. Whilst I am therefore aware of discussions relating to the 2018 pay award and the ballots of PSC and Prospect members, neither I nor my officials are taking an active role in discussions with Tate management or staff on the matter.

Youth Services

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 45 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy, published in August 2018, what steps his Department has taken to establish a national Young Commissioners and Inspectors Group to involve young people directly and meaningfully in the commissioning, monitoring and evaluation of national programmes affecting young people.

Mims Davies: On 27th February 2019, DCMS launched three new youth voice projects, including a Young Commissioners and Inspectors Group, a Civil Society Youth Steering Group and a digital youth engagement research project. Through these projects, the department is enabling effective youth participation in national policy making and pioneering approaches which can be adopted across government. The projects are being delivered by a consortium of youth organisations led by the British Youth Council and will run as pilots until March 2020.

Citizens' Juries

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2019 to Question 233511 on Citizens' Juries, what the timeframe is for the announcement of the successful pilot locations.

Mims Davies: The Innovation in Democracy Programme is a key part of the Civil Society Strategy announced last year. The successful locations will be announced in due course.

Gift Aid

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to take steps to prevent organisations from making a profit on Gift Aid claims when they receive a donation.

Mims Davies: The Charities Act 1992 requires all professional fundraisers, including online fundraising platforms, to inform potential donors of their fees and charges. The Fundraising Regulator strengthened its Code of Fundraising Practice in June 2018 to clarify what is expected of online fundraising platforms in terms of their transparency. Improved transparency requirements enable potential donors to make informed choices about their giving.

Public Libraries

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, with reference to the Carnegie UK Trust's report of March 2019, Engaging Libraries: Learning from Phase 1, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report.

Michael Ellis: The Government welcomed the recent Engaging Libraries programme, supported by Carnegie UK Trust and the Wellcome Trust, which enabled public library services to pilot creative public engagement projects on health and wellbeing. We also welcome the announcement that a second phase of the programme will be launched later in 2019. In line with the learning in this report, the Government recognises the important roles that libraries can play in promoting health and wellbeing. In December 2016, the Libraries Taskforce (which was jointly established by DCMS and the Local Government Association) published its Libraries Deliver: Ambition document. This set out seven strategic Outcomes to which libraries contribute and that local and central government is seeking to support and encourage; one of these was helping people to have healthier and happier lives. The Taskforce includes representatives of Public Health England and NHS England, and has been active in promoting and sharing good practice about a number of the Engaging Libraries projects through its blog on GOV.UK. In addition, the Taskforce has published an advocacy brochure to specifically showcase to library services, local councils, and partner organisations how libraries can support health and wellbeing for people and communities.

Northern Ireland Office

British Irish Intergovernmental Conference

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on what date the next British Irish Intergovernmental Conference is scheduled to take place.

Karen Bradley: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 26 March 2019 (UIN 235262). At the last meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in November 2018, the UK and Irish Governments agreed to hold another meeting in the spring of 2019.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Elections

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when she plans to lay before the House the relevant measures to extend the period under which the duty to call an Assembly election is removed as outlined in the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018.

Karen Bradley: I laid the statutory instrument that extended the period for Executive formation on 21 March. It came into force on 25 March and, as a made affirmative instrument, it will be subject to a debate and vote in Parliament in due course.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to her oral contribution to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into abortion in Northern Ireland on 27 February 2019, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to give legal standing to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Committee.

Karen Bradley: I have secured collective agreement across Government to commit to introduce legislation to address the Commission’s ‘own motion’ legal standing under the Human Rights Act 1998, via its powers under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. This will happen at the earliest opportunity, before the end of 2019, to ensure it has the legal mandate to bring cases in its own name before the UK domestic courts. We are currently working through options for the appropriate legislative vehicle to deliver this fix at the earliest opportunity.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the long term financial viability of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

John Penrose: The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland sponsors the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. It is Northern Ireland’s largest social landlord and provides 86,000 social homes. This is 1 in 9 of all homes in Northern Ireland. I am aware that officials in the Department for Communities have carried out work to assess the financial requirements of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Any changes in response to this assessment are rightly the responsibility of the devolved Stormont Assembly and Executive. In the absence of an Executive, this is a matter for the Permanent Secretary of the Department within the limits of the EFEF Act.

Prime Minister

Department for Work and Pensions: Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Prime Minister, when she plans to name a new Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work.

Mrs Theresa May: The appointment will be announced in the usual way